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ADDA to Vote on Whether to Back Recall of D.A. Gascón
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys, a hybrid professional association and union with more than 800 members, is readying to vote on whether to endorse the effort to recall District Attorney George Gascón, and is giving the embattled chief prosecutor to address his troops at a “virtual town hall meeting.”
He was given a deadline of tomorrow at 1 p.m. to accept the invitation.
ADDA President Michele Hanisee, acting on behalf of the Board of Directors, said in a letter to Gascón on Friday:
“A recall of a public official is only warranted by a serious breach of the public trust. There were early signs of this breach—from violating the County Charter’s civil service rules to forcing your deputies to seek judicial intervention against illegal provisions of your directives. The breach we see as the most harmful is your purposeful inaction in the face of increasing and distressing violence against innocent members of the public. We hoped that there would be a course correction. We have seen none.”
Anniversary of Ruling
Today marks one year since a Los Angeles Superior Court judge granted a preliminary injunction, sought by the ADDA, barring Gascón from implementing certain special directives. Among other things, he is barred from “requiring deputy district attorneys not to plead and prove strike priors under the Three Strikes law.”
The judge also forbade “compelling deputy district attorneys to move to dismiss strike priors or any existing sentencing enhancement in a pending case without having legal grounds” and “compelling deputy district attorneys to move to dismiss or withdraw special circumstance allegations that would result in” a sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole “without legal grounds.” That decision is on appeal.
In a second writ action, filed in October, Gascón is accused of defying Civil Service rules, including his hiring of three deputy public defenders who supported his campaign for election to office, without being trained as prosecutors or taking an examination. Gascon contends that lateral transfers are authorized.
Members Are Knowledgeable
Hanisee’s letter to Gascón continues:
“It would be inappropriate for our seven-person Board of Directors (which includes six registered Democrats and one decline-to-state voter) to speak for so many on such an important nonpartisan question. We recognize that our members are uniquely qualified to judge your performance and competency as District Attorney. They know, better than most, how your policy choices have impacted our office, our law practices, the victims and survivors of crime whom we serve, and the safety of the communities in which we live.
“With that in mind, it is our members—not just our Board—who will decide whether to endorse recalling you. So that this office’s prosecutors can make their decision in a transparent and democratic manner, we invite you to attend a virtual town hall meeting to give you the opportunity to speak on your own behalf. We think that you, as the elected department head, would benefit from the opportunity to discuss this issue with our members.”
The ADDA president advised Gascón that a webinar has been set up for Feb. 16 at 6:15 p.m., but offered Gascón the opportunity to appear, instead, on any of the three succeeding days at that time.
Gascón’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Cooley Comments
Former District Attorney Steve Cooley, who is supporting the recall effort, told the METNEWS:
“Gascón is between a rock and a hard spot!
“He shows up and it becomes instantly obvious he really does not have a clue what it means to be a public prosecutor. If he does not participate it will confirm everyone’s suspicions that he is unwilling and unable to defend his conduct and his policies.
“The chickens are coming home to roost!”
Gascón, who resigned as district attorney of San Francisco in order to run for that post in Los Angeles County in 2020, has never tried a case.
To qualify a recall for the ballot, supporters must garner 566,857 signatures by July 6. An earlier attempt to gather signatures failed, but that was an under-funded amateur effort, while the current campaign is being run by professionals, and $2.7 million was collected in contributions before the 160-day period for collecting signatures began. Thirty-one cities in the county had declared “no confidence” in Gascón and Beverly Hills has endorsed the recall effort.
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