Iniguez drops out of LA DA race, urges other progressive candidates to evaluate their “limitations”

LOS ANGELES — Hours after dropping out of the race for Los Angeles County district attorney and giving his endorsement to George Gascon, Deputy DA Joseph Iniguez urged other candidates to “consider their own limitations” and work together to reach what he framed as their shared goal: unseating incumbent DA Jackie Lacey.

“Before March, I would like to see us all unify,” he said in an interview Thursday afternoon. Referring to his own withdrawal from the race, Iniguez added, “I’m not saying they should do what I’ve done. … We all have the same goal if they’re truly progressive.”

Iniguez withdrew from the race Thursday morning to endorse Gascon. The deputy DA will co-chair Gascon’s campaign, according to a news release issued by Gascon’s team. Max Szabo, a spokesperson for Gascon, said the candidate has not offered Iniguez a position in his administration if he is elected DA in March.

Out of all the progressive candidates, which include Gascon, deputy DA Richard Ceballos, and former deputy public defender Rachel A. Rossi, Iniguez said Gascon has the most “management experience.” Iniguez noted since he announced his candidacy in April, he has won the endorsement of the Democratic Party of San Fernando Valley over Lacey and Ceballos – support he hopes to redirect to Gascon, who entered the race in October.

“It’s using the relationships that I’ve developed over the past six or seven months,” Iniguez said of his new role.

But Ceballos said he has doubts Iniguez’s endorsement will have a large impact on Gascon’s chances. Speaking of Iniguez, Ceballos said, “from my understanding, he was struggling to get endorsements, and it was largely due to his [lack of] experience. I don’t really think he offers Gascon much.”

Iniguez acknowledged the level of experience he had, especially relative to that held by the other candidates, made his campaign “challenging.” He implored Ceballos and Rossi to evaluate their own restrictions while clarifying he was not suggesting they drop out of the race.

“I’m happy that people are challenging Jackie,” he said. Iniguez has expressed public disapproval of practices that occur in Lacey’s office, like pursuing the death penalty. In May, he withdrew his membership from the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, citing comments that Michele Hanisee, the union’s president, made to the New York Times regarding her support for capital punishment.

Rossi, who joined the race mid-November, agreed that “LA’s current system of justice is broken, and it is time for change.”

In an email Thursday, she added, “I’m still in this race because I believe it’s time to change the conversation and reimagine what a progressive prosecutor’s office can look like in Los Angeles County.”

Lacey was unable to provide comment before press time.