Jul 6, 2022
LA County District Attorney May Face Recall Vote in November
Bloomberg News
,(Bloomberg) -- Los Angeles County’s district attorney may face a vote in November -- two years before his term ends -- as the campaign to recall him said it submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
The group rallying to recall George Gascón turned in 717,000 signatures to the county elections office by Wednesday’s deadline, surpassing the 566,857 signatures required, or 10% of registered voters. The signatures still need to be verified.
Critics blame Gascón for progressive policies such as his rebuke of the death penalty and elimination of cash bail as crime rates rise in the most populous US county. The submission of signatures comes just a month after Chesa Boudin, who succeeded Gascón as San Francisco’s district attorney, was ousted by voters as the city’s crime and drug problems escalated.
The effort to recall Gascón was the second since elected to a four-year term in November 2020, after an earlier petition last year failed to gather enough signatures.
“The people of Los Angeles have spoken in a resounding way,” the recall campaign said in a statement.
Gascón has defended his stance, saying his critics are “fear-mongering.” At a townhall last month, he said LA’s problems are the result of policies that “over-criminalize” communities without creating a path to reduce crime.
©2022 Bloomberg L.P.