George Gascon, the new George Soros-backed Los Angeles District Attorney, was sworn in on Monday, and immediately ended the use of cash bail for most crimes, while also barring prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in new cases.
Gascon appeared poised to do for L.A. what he did for San Francisco, a city now synonymous with petty crime, drug abuse, and sidewalk defecation. The out-of-town “progressive” ousted Jackie Lacey, the first African American woman to hold the office, with the support of millions from Soros, California’s left-wing establishment, and Black Lives Matter activists.
L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti initially backed Lacey, but then dumped her and backed Gascon after a summer of protests and riots.
The Los Angeles Times reported:
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón announced sweeping policy changes as he took office Monday, including a plan to end the use of cash bail in the nation’s largest court system and a ban on his prosecutors seeking sentencing enhancements in nearly all cases.
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Gascón also said he expects to bring an end to misdemeanor prosecutions of most first-time, nonviolent offenders.
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During his contentious campaign against the incumbent D.A., Jackie Lacey, Gascón had vowed more big changes, including barring prosecutors from seeking the death penalty in new cases and to end the practice of trying juveniles as adults. He followed through on both of those campaign promises Monday, announcing them among the slew of new policies he is implementing.
The moves have already drawn concerns from the ranks of the 1,200 deputy district attorneys who will now serve under Gascón, some of whom have complained that the new top prosecutor drew up many of these new positions without input from the office he is now set to oversee.
Local Fox affiliate KTTV 11 added:
Prosecutors will no longer request cash bail for any misdemeanor, non-serious or non-violent offense, Gascón announced. Prosecutors will still be able to request bail in very serious offenses articulated in the constitution until Jan 1. By Jan 1, Gascón’s office will detail infrastructure and specifics to end cash bail altogether, instead seeking detention when deemed necessary.
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Additionally, the DA’s office will no longer seek enhancements of any kind (i.e. gang enhancements, three strikes, etc.), saying they undermine rehabilitation, exacerbate racial inequities and unnecessarily crowd jails and prisons. This policy will also be retroactive. The office estimates there could be up 30,000 cases eligible for re-sentencing.
Kim Kardashian — who has worked with President Donald Trump on prison reform — praised Gascon on Twitter:
Soros has spent millions backing left-wing prosecutors across the country, reshaping criminal justice as left-wing activists — many also backed by Soros — march in the streets demanding “defund the police.” Crime is up in major cities nationwide.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). His newest e-book is Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. His recent book, RED NOVEMBER, tells the story of the 2020 Democratic presidential primary from a conservative perspective. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.