Los Angeles DA George Gascón recall group says it has collected required signatures to put matter on ballot
LOS ANGELES - The group working to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón said it has collected the necessary number of signatures required to put the matter before voters.
The Recall George Gascón campaign told Fox News it received over 30,000 petitions over the past few days in an effort to gather the 567,857 needed by July 6. The group said it hit the target Wednesday but is working toward collecting 650,000 signatures as some will likely be deemed invalid by the Los Angeles County officials.
"Simply clearing the required threshold is not enough – we must build the necessary cushion for signatures that are inevitably invalidated," a campaign statement said. We are urging every registered voter in Los Angeles County to mail in their petition by no later than June 24 to ensure they arrive on time, or alternatively, drop them off at one of our permanent signing locations by June 30. The only thing that can stop us at this point is complacency."
Fox News has reached out to the group and Gascón's campaign.
The recall is the second attempt by supporters to oust Gascón, who came into office in December 2020 on a criminal justice reform platform.
As crime has increased across the county, so has scrutiny of its top prosecutor, who has barred his deputy district attorneys from seeking enhancement allegations, which can significantly lengthen prison sentences, and charging juveniles as adults, even those accused of serious crimes, among others.
The directive related to juveniles has since been modified after criticism over the case of a 26-year-old transgender woman who sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl when she was 17.
Gascón's supporters have hailed him as a reformer who is trying to change a criminal justice system fraught with inequity, while critics say his moves have emboldened criminals who no longer fear harsh punishment, even for serious offenses.