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LA County DA Race: George Gascon, Former San Francisco DA
Today on KPCC we’re profiling George Gascon, one of the three candidates running for Los Angeles County District Attorney. The story is the second in a three-part series; tomorrow we profile incumbent DA Jackie Lacey. Yesterday we profiled public defender Rachel Rossi.
The DA race is drawing national attention; it’s the latest chapter in a national push to elect reformist DA’s across the U.S.
Gascon, 65, is running as a reformer. After a career at the LAPD and stints as chief of police in Mesa, Arizona and in San Francisco, he became San Francisco DA in 2011 and served nearly nine years before stepping down to run for the L.A. job.
He says the criminal justice system is unfair to people of color, and he has backed numerous reforms, such as Prop. 47, which reduces a number of non-violent felonies to misdemeanors, and Prop. 57, which gives some non-violent felons easier access to parole.
Listen to the profile:
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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