9 Candidates For LA County DA Will Debate Tonight. The Current DA Won't Be One Of Them

Nine candidates seeking to unseat L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón in the March 2024 primary election will take the stage Wednesday night in a debate sponsored by the region’s biggest police unions.

A spokesperson for Gascón said he would not attend because of a previously scheduled event at the same time with a Democratic club.

Law enforcement unions, including the Association of Los Angeles Deputy Sheriffs and Los Angeles Police Protective League, have been among the DA’s sharpest critics. They argue he is too lenient with people who commit crimes. Police unions are a powerful political force, capable of spending big dollars for and against candidates.

What to expect

Gascón is sure to be the main target of Wednesday’s two-hour debate, which is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. at the Pacific Palms Resort in the City of Industry.

The debate will be live streamed here.

Gascón has said his policy of reducing criminal penalties is aimed at reducing mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system. He won office touting that message in 2020, ousting incumbent Jackie Lacey.

Gascón's track record

The district attorney enacted a sweeping set of reforms when he took office. They resulted in a dramatic reduction in the filing of misdemeanors and certain gang and other sentencing enhancements.

Gascon, who was a Los Angeles police officer early in his career, also has aggressively prosecuted police officers involved in shootings and other uses of force, filing charges against 15 officers over three years. The previous two DA’s filed charges against two officers over nearly 20 years.

Why this race will be closely watched

The L.A. County DA’s race is expected to be closely watched across the country as a barometer of how the public is feeling about criminal justice reforms amid an increase in property crime. Property crime is up 17.4% in the city of L.A. so far this year compared to two years ago.

Videotaped smash-and-grab robberies have also attracted widespread media attention.

Violent crime is down 1.3% year to date from two years ago.

Overall, both property and violent crime remain significantly lower than a decade ago. The numbers mirror what’s happening in cities across the country and among jurisdictions with both liberal and conservative prosecutors.

If no candidate garners a majority of votes in the non-partisan March primary, the top two finishers will advance to the November general election.

The challengers