Los Angeles deputy DAs slam George Gascon for declining their invitation to defend himself against recall

[buh buh biden]

A group representing more than 800 Los Angeles prosecutors invited their
boss to defend himself from a petition seeking to oust him in a recall
election. He declined.

Democratic L.A. District Attorney George Gascon’s own deputies slammed him
for blowing them off at a virtual town hall event at which they’d asked
him to explain why he shouldn’t be recalled Wednesday. They also wanted to
ask him questions about "his policies and decisions."

They had invited him last week and asked for a response by 1 p.m.
Wednesday – which they received at 12:23 p.m. The deputies also accused
Gascon of rarely actually showing up to work and of violating the public’s
trust.

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"The District Attorney ran on a promise of transparency," the Association
of Deputy District Attorneys (ADDA) said in a statement. "It is clear from
his actions today that this promise was merely a political platitude.
Unfortunately, his refusal to meet with his own deputies is consistent
with the secrecy with which he manages his administration."

In response to an inquiry about the ADDA’s criticisms, Gascon’s office
provided a copy of a letter he sent to ADDA President Michele Hanisee
earlier Wednesday.

"I am not ignorant to the fact that there are those who vehemently oppose
my philosophy and ideology when it comes to how the criminal legal system
should operate," Gascon wrote. "Before I was elected to this position by
over 2 million residents of Los Angeles County, a false narrative about me
began, and it has continued ever since."

He dismissed criticisms of his approach to the office as "fear tactics."

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"The issues raised in the invitational letter appear political and have
nothing to do with improving the working conditions of the individuals
your board represents," Gascon added. "I was elected not only to serve the
public, but to be a good steward to the dedicated [deputy district
attorneys] in this office."

To that end, he touted the dozens of promotions and new hires in the
office over the past year.

Gascon, who became DA in 2020, is facing a second recall petition as
critics paint him as a soft-on-crime activist and his own deputies accuse
him of failing to uphold the responsibilities of his office.

The ADDA plans to vote internally by secret ballot later this month on the
recall question.

"Already, more than 30 cities within Los Angeles County issued votes of no
confidence in the District Attorney," the ADDA said in a statement. "In
addition, multiple cities are exploring options to avoid Gascon’s no
prosecution policy on quality-of-life crimes."

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Faith in Gascon’s willingness and ability to prosecute crimes is so low
that the county sheriff recently bypassed his office and asked federal
authorities to handle the case against three alleged gang members and
another person accused of killing off-duty LAPD Officer Fernando Arroyos
last month.

"I have no confidence in what the local D.A., George Gascon, is going to
do," Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox News in mid-January. "His deputy
district attorney and the Crimes Against Peace Officers unit appeared on
the scene of the shooting of Fernando Arroyos' very tragic murder, and
they were fully briefed."

Villanueva said the Gascon’s office expressed "no interest" in pursuing
enhanced charges for gang involvement or weapons used in the crime.

"That is just not acceptable," he said.

Desiree Andrade and Tania Owen, organizers of the new recall effort, said
in a statement that residents "are sick and tired of living in the pro-
criminal paradise that Gascon has created."

Both the city and county of Los Angeles have seen staggering spikes in
homicides – as well as serial smash-and-grab and follow-home robberies
that have residents and business owners alike in fear.

Gascon’s decision not to prosecutor a 26-year-old child molester as an
adult also drew uproar two weeks ago – when a court ruled that the
defendant, who began identifying as a woman only after being arrested for
a cold-case attack on a 10-year-old female, would serve time in a juvenile
facility alongside girls.

The first petition failed to reach enough signatures by its Oct. 26, 2021,
deadline.

The second effort will require organizers to gather about 567,000
signatures by July 6 – about 10% of the registered voters in Los Angeles
County.

Fox News’ Brie Stimson and Bailee Hill contributed to this report.

https://www.foxnews.com/us/los-angeles-deputy-das-george-gascon-recall