LOS ANGELES – Today, in response to the California Judicial Council’s statewide emergency order that set bail at $0 for all misdemeanor and lower-level non-serious, non-violent felony offenses, George Gascón released the following statement:
“California continues to solidify its role as the national leader in adopting aggressive, life-saving initiatives during this crisis,” said former District Attorney and Assistant Chief of the LAPD, George Gascón. “The novel coronavirus has forced our system of justice to confront a not-so-novel question, one that largely defined the criminal justice reform movement even prior to the pandemic: Does keeping huge numbers of people in-custody on small-time offenses pose a greater threat to us all than letting them out?
“Prior to Covid-19 the answer was well-studied and abundantly clear, but the pandemic has made the implications of mass-incarceration far more tangible and lethal than ever. This virus does not care if you’re a prosecutor, victim, or a defendant. Innocent or guilty, this virus can still kill you.
“While New York’s leaders are taking us backwards, California’s leaders are demonstrating that they are up to the task of protecting the health and wellfare of our community. The same cannot be said of LA’s criminal justice leaders who must make an urgent, life-saving course change to protect the public from the threat posed by this pandemic.”
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George 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.
For more information about George Gascón go to www.GeorgeGascon.org.