The Beverly Hills City Council will be taking up a resolution expressing no confidence against Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón on March 16.
The resolution, which is listed on the agenda for the upcoming meeting, states that Gascón’s policies of dismissing various misdemeanor charges and eliminating sentencing enhancers “contradict state laws” and “the legislative ballot initiative process to prevent and prosecute crime and protect the general public.” Mayor Lester Friedman and Councilmember Lili Bosse requested the vote.
“The City of Beverly Hills demands Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón rescind every Special Directive issued since being sworn into office on December 7, 2020,” the resolution states.
On March 9, the Santa Clarita City Council unanimously passed a similar resolution expressing no confidence in Gascón over his policies. Santa Clarita City Councilman Jason Gibbs said at the time, “The only way to ensure nothing happens is to do nothing. This vote is something… to demonstrate the serious concerns we have within this community.”
Anti-Defamation League Los Angeles Regional Director Jeffrey Abrams also expressed concern in December about how Gascón’s directives would affect hate crime sentencing, stating that “eliminating hate crime enhancements in all cases could send the wrong message, causing further fractures in our community. We believe in this context, a blanket approach is not the wisest.”
The progressive Jewish group Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, on the other hand, co-signed a letter in December backing Gascón’s directives. “These sweeping reforms will enhance public safety and are well-aligned with a burgeoning national consciousness that we can no longer police and cage away the many social ills produced by inequality, racism, and poverty: the root causes of crime.”
Alex Bastian, Special Advisor to Gascón, said in a statement to the Journal, “The District Attorney is very focused on enhancing public safety, increasing equity, expanding victim services and strengthening police accountability. The policies implemented over the last few months go to furthering these core principles for all Angelenos, including Beverly Hills residents.”
