Local & Reform-minded DA Jeff Rosen Says "No" to hard-left LA DA George Gascon
When is a progressive district attorney actually regressive? It’s when the DA in question is Los Angeles County’s jailbreak DA, George Gascon, says Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen. Rosen has chosen to endorse Gacon's opponent, Nathan Hochman, for LA DA, suggesting that Gascon's extremist policies are making LA less safe. Thomas Buckley of the California Globe has the low-down.
This week, Rosen endorsed Nathan Hochman in his effort to unseat Gascon in November.
This particular endorsement must sting for Gascon – in his decade-plus in office, Rosen has established himself as a “reform” district attorney. While he endorsed former DA Jackie Lacey in 2020, he also backed Proposition 47 which changed the definition of many crimes in the state.
But now Rosen not only sees Gascon as a failed administrator and a public safety disaster, but also as a rather specific detriment to the cause of criminal justice reform in general.
“The way you make change is as important as the change you make,” said Rosen. “You cannot condescend and dictate to people.”
“Fairness and safety are intertwined values," Rosen continued. "So, anyone who thinks criminal justice reform is more important than public safety does not understand the meaning of reform, because reform only works if it promotes both justice and a safer community, I am here today to endorse Nathan Hochman as an exceptionally qualified candidate to implement reform in the D.A.’s Office that will bring both fairness and accountability.”
By failing at the most basic job of the district attorney – keeping the public safe – Gascon, while seemingly ideologically closer, has failed not only the community but set back the cause of criminal justice reform.
“You’re not advancing change if you’re not keeping people safe,” Rosen said. “Especially if people don’t even feel safe.”
Read the whole thing here.
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