One Year After His Election, LA County DA George Gascón On The Short, Long Term Effects Of His Reforms
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón has grabbed local headlines for the progressive criminal justice reforms he's implemented since his election in late 2020. Gascón is a former LAPD officer who rose through the ranks to become assistant chief of LAPD, then went going on to serve as chief of police in Mesa, Arizona and in San Francisco, and then as San Francisco D.A. before he was elected as D.A. in L.A.. Gascón ran as a reformer, promising to reduce sentences for violent crimes and to not prosecute certain low-level misdemeanor offenses, and while he has followed through on those promises as D.A., not everyone is on board. There has been concern among some in law enforcement, families of crime victims and even prosecutors in his own office about whether his new policies are actually in the best interest of public safety, which in part has resulted in two recall efforts, the first one failed and the second is ongoing.
One year after his election, KPCC/LAist criminal justice correspondent Frank Stoltze sat down with L.A. County D.A. Gascón for over an hour to look back on his first year in office, explore the effects his reforms have had so far and how he thinks they will change the criminal justice system in future years and hear how the D.A. responds to those who say his reforms put the safety of the public at risk.
The portion of this conversation that aired on AirTalk was edited for time. You can find the full discussion between Frank Stoltze and D.A. Gascónhere.
FilmWeek: ‘West Side Story,’ ‘Being The Ricardos,’ ‘Don’t Look Up,’ And More
Larry Mantle and KPCC film critics Tim Cogshell, Peter Rainer and Charles Solomon review this weekend’s new movie releases on streaming and on demand platforms.
- “West Side Story,” Wide Release
- "Being the Ricardos,” In select theaters including Laemmle’s Playhouse (Pasadena); The Alamo Drafthouse (DTLA); and AMC Burbank 16; Amazon Prime Video on December 21
- "Don’t Look Up," In select theaters including LOOK Cinemas (Glendale); The Alamo Drafthouse (DTLA); and Regency Commerce (City of Commerce); Netflix on December 24
- "Belle,” Laemmle’s Newhall (Santa Clarita) on December 15; Release expands January 14
- "Citizen Ashe," Laemmle’s Royal (West LA)
- “The Duke,” Laemmle’s Royal (West LA); Release expands March 2022
- “Red Rocket,” In select theaters including AMC The Grove (La Brea) & AMC Burbank 16; Expands to Laemmle theaters Christmas Day
- “France,” Landmark Nuart Theatre (West LA)
- “White on White,” Laemmle’s Monica Film Center (Santa Monica) & the Lumiere Music Hall (Beverly Hills)
- “National Champions,” Wide Release
- “The Unforgivable,” Netflix
- “Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People,” Laemmle’s NoHo on December 15
‘Red Rocket’ Director And Star On Filming In The Shadow Of Texas City Oil Refineries And Casting Non-Professional Actors
Filmmaker Sean Baker is drawn to characters who live at the margins of society, often faced with personal challenges with few resources. His previous movies include “The Florida Project” and “Tangerine.” His latest movie is called “Red Rocket.” It follows a washed-up adult film actor named Mikey, played by Simon Rex. Mikey is back among the oil refineries in his Texas City hometown, looking to re-connect with people from his past and maybe get a little work. The film uses local, non-professional actors, which Baker has done in his past films. KPCC’s John Horn talked with Sean Baker and star Simon Rex. It’s in theaters now. It’s Rated R.