LOS ANGELES – Today, SEIU Local 2015, California’s largest union representing over 400,000 long-term care workers, voted overwhelmingly to endorse George Gascón for Los Angeles County District Attorney. Union members authorized the endorsement in a virtual town hall following a rigorous interview process with the candidate.
“For far too long, our criminal justice system has been cruel and unfair to our communities,” said Chiquita Twyman, Member Leader and Executive Board representative. “This is a deeply personal issue for me. My brother, Ryan Twyman, was murdered by LA County Sheriffs in June 2019. To date, they have yet to be held accountable for their use of lethal force and my family’s loss. Justice has not been served for me or hundreds of other families in LA County who have lost loved ones at the hands of law enforcement since Jackie Lacy has been DA.. We need change now. George Gascón has a vision of reforming our broken system and a track record of moving change. He is committed to fighting for and defending all Angelenos. I have been demonstrating every week here in Los Angeles advocating for justice reform. I am proud to stand alongside my 400,000 sisters and brothers to elect George Gascón to be District Attorney in Los Angeles County.”
“Los Angeles deserves a District Attorney that strives for justice for all of its residents,” said April Verrett, President of SEIU Local 2015. “Far too many Angelenos feel that law enforcement officials who are elected to serve and protect our communities have instead turned their backs on the majority of us. George Gascón will change that. We need a District Attorney who is committed to transforming our broken criminal justice system into one that provides real equality under the law for all of us no matter where we live or the color of our skin. SEIU 2015 is committed to doing all that we can to ensure George Gascón is elected in November and we are committed to being his partner to make our shared vision of justice for all a reality.”
“I am incredibly proud to have the support of Local 2015, California’s largest union,” said former San Francisco District Attorney and Assistant Chief of the LAPD, George Gascón. “They understand what it means to care for the most vulnerable members of our society, and I look forward to joining them in fighting against institutional racism, and to make LA a safer and healthier place to live and work.”
SEIU Local 2015 represents 200,000 long term care workers in LA County, which accounts for half of their total statewide membership. Their political program is a grassroots effort focused on their member democracy captains, who are community leaders tapping into their own network of friends and neighbors to share the importance of getting involved and taking action in this election.The union aims to have 250 democracy captains for this election cycle and will play an active role in the race for DA and other local contests as part of its commitment to being an anti-racist organization that fights for justice for all.
###
George Gascón is the Democratic Party’s nominee. He is endorsed by the LA Times, the LA Daily News, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren, Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, former Chief of the LAPD Charlie Beck, and many more.
Mr. Gascón grew up in Los Angeles after his family immigrated from Cuba. An army veteran, Gascón served as a Los Angeles Police Department Officer for 30 years, rising to the rank of Assistant Chief of Operations. In 2006 he became Chief of Police in Mesa, Arizona, where he stood up to the hateful and anti-immigrant policies of then Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio. In 2009, then-San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed Gascón Chief of Police. Newsom turned to Gascón again in 2011 when he tapped him to be District Attorney to fill the seat vacated by an outgoing Kamala Harris who had been elected Attorney General. During his tenure Gascón implemented reforms that are being duplicated across the country while overseeing violent crime and homicides drop to rates not seen in 50 years. After being elected to two terms, Gascón returned to Los Angeles to care for his elderly mother and to be closer to his two daughters and grandchildren in Long Beach. Gascón is married to Fabiola Kramsky, a three-time Emmy Award winning journalist and recipient of the “Premio Nacional de Periodismo,” the highest recognition given to journalists in Mexico.