Nearly 98 percent of Los Angeles prosecutors favor recalling progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon amid the surge in violent crime in the country, according to a vote among county prosecutors that was released Tuesday by the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys union.
The George Soros-backed district attorney is facing a recall petition over his soft-on-crime approach to the county's uptick in crime.
Of the 83.3 percent of ADDA members who participated in the vote, 97.9 percent said they would support recalling Gascon.
"This vote is by those who are intimately familiar with how Mr. Gascon’s policies actually play out on a day-to-day basis," ADDA president Michele Hanisee said in a statement Tuesday. "We believe the vote of our members will resonate with the voters of Los Angeles as they decide whether to recall Gascon from office and restore public safety as the priority of the District Attorney’s office."
97.9% percent of the front-line prosecutors tasked with implementing @GeorgeGascon policies voted to support his recall. Gascón refused an invitation to address the prosecutors of his office to explain & defend his policies and provide his arguments why he should not be recalled. pic.twitter.com/sxMx9X8WHR
— LAADDA (@LACountyADDA) February 22, 2022
Earlier this month, Gascon declined to meet with the ADDA about the recall. The union said they invited the district attorney to defend his heavily scrutinized policies.
More than 30 cities within Los Angeles County have issued votes of no confidence in Gascon.
"Over a year ago, Gascon began a massive social experiment by redirecting prosecutorial resources away from enforcing the law while simultaneously ignoring large portions of the penal code," ADDA VP Eric Siddall said in a statement of the union's vote. "The result is an emboldened criminal element that knows the DA will not hold criminals accountable. This experiment needs to end."
The ADDA represents more than 800 Los Angeles deputy district attorneys.