In the latest round of sniping in a bitter battle to decide Los Angeles County’s top prosecutor, George Gascón accused Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey of violating campaign finance laws Monday, a claim met with skepticism by election law experts.
In a letter to the district attorney’s office, Gascón’s campaign alleged Lacey violated state criminal law and an election code by using public resources and displaying the L.A. County seal in campaign communications. Gascón’s campaign alleged the violations occurred as Lacey appeared on TV to debut an advertisement critical of Gascón and during two campaign events later that month, including one where she sought an endorsement.
In each instance, Lacey appears in front of a banner that displays the county seal and insignia of the district attorney’s office. Gascón, a former district attorney in San Francisco who positions himself as a progressive, will face Lacey in a November contest that has become a national referendum on criminal justice reform.
Max Szabo, Gascón’s chief spokesman, who authored the letter, alleged the images were filmed at Lacey’s office and used for campaign purposes, which he argued would violate laws governing the use of public resources during campaigns.
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