Campaign organizers seeking to recall Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón can now start collecting signatures in their second bid to remove the progressive prosecutor from office, officials said.
The county’s Registrar’s Office approved the new recall petition Thursday that requires organizers to gather signatures of support from 10% of the county’s registered voters — a little more than 560,000 people — by July 6. Organizers halted their first recall attempt last fall after they were unable to gather the necessary signatures by the end of October.
Gascón, 67, was elected in 2020 on a pledge to reform the county’s criminal justice system. Since he took office, juveniles are no longer being charged as adults, sentencing enhancements that he says lead to mass incarceration have been eliminated and cash bail for nonviolent felony offenses has ended. Misdemeanors associated with substance abuse and mental illness are also being diverted out of the criminal justice system.
But recall organizers contend that Gascon’s policies favor defendants and have contributed to a rise in crime. His critics include L.A. County Sheriff Alex Villanueva, law enforcement officers, some prosecutors and victims’ rights groups.
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