LA DA Gascón given notice of 2nd recall attempt

LOS ANGELES -- Organizers of a second recall effort against District Attorney George Gascón served a notice to his representative on the steps of the Hall of Justice on Monday following a news conference.

Gascón did not respond to inquiries for comment on Monday but has said in the past the recall effort against him is nothing more than a hyper-partisan effort to overturn a free and fair election, and the campaign stands for more punishment, not more safety.

The previous attempt to recall Gascón missed a September deadline to gather enough signatures to certify an election.

Following the service of the notice of intention to circulate a petition, Gascón has seven days to respond if he chooses to. Then the county registrar will review the notice and publish it. Organizers will then have 160 days to gather the required 582,000 signatures.

Organizers present on Monday included former LA County district attorney and co-chair of the recall campaign Stephen L. Cooley, who said he is participating because, "Just like all these victims here, I would like to see the laws of California actually enforced by the district attorney. Gascón is not doing that and therefore he's putting the public at risk."

Marsy's Law attorney Kathleen M. Cady of the Dordulian Law Group told the news media and a group of crime victims, "Mr. Gascón took an oath to follow the law. But instead of following the law, he issued a number of policies immediately after taking that oath ... that violate the law and do not allow for district attorneys to charge people and prosecute people in Los Angeles County as they are throughout the state."

Cady, a former deputy district attorney and co-chair of the Recall District Attorney George Gascón campaign, stated the DA has turned his back on victims.

Cristine DeBerry, executive director of the Prosecutors Alliance of California, of which Gascón is one of four members, said on Monday in response to the recall's launch, "Dated, tough-on-crime approaches have not made our communities safer, but have produced insecurity and instability that has increased recidivism rates and exacerbated homelessness in our communities."

She stated 95% "of the people we send to prison will come home, and research has consistently shown that longer sentences can actually make individuals more likely to commit future crimes. It's time to stop the finger pointing and work with us on prevention and problem solving."

Gascón is not the only California district attorney to face a recall effort this year. San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin is likely facing a recall election in June 2022 after his opponents collected over 83,000 unverified signatures.

In September, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch defeated a recall election, winning 79% of the vote. Ravitch called the election revenge for a civil enforcement action she filed last year against a senior care residence owner.