District Attorney George Gascón came under withering criticism during a debate in downtown Los Angeles Thursday night that featured 10 of the 12 candidates vying to be the county’s top prosecutor.
Gascón instituted a sweeping set of reforms after he was elected in 2020. Many of them focused on reducing penalties for people convicted of crimes. He said it was an effort to reduce mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
“What I will continue to do if I were to be honored with being reelected is continue (with a policy) that cares for the victims of our community and does so in a thoughtful and intelligent way,” Gascón said at the debate.
But his opponents argued that the incumbent’s reforms had made Angelenos less safe. One — Nathan Hochman, a criminal defense attorney and a former Republican candidate for California attorney general — said the changes had heralded a “golden age of criminals,” because they were spending less time behind bars.
Other candidates agreed.
“The social experiment that Mr. Gascón has been engaging with is not working,” said Eric Siddall, a deputy district attorney and one of four of Gascón’s own prosecutors running to unseat him. Siddall said serious offenders are being treated too leniently.
Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta, a former prosecutor, said Gascón’s policies have eroded public safety.
“The question, ladies and gentlemen, is: Are we safer than we were three years ago? Unequivocally we are not,” she said.
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