LOS ANGELES –Today, United Teachers Los Angeles threw their support behind George Gascón for DA. With over 35,000 teacher members and 44 standing committees, UTLA serves teachers, students, and classrooms all across Los Angeles.
“We need a District Attorney that is prepared to take on an out-dated and unjust system of justice,” said UTLA President Cecily Myart-Cruz. “George Gascón recognizes that we must end the draconian practice of transferring kids to adult court, and he has successfully shown that you can keep kids out of the justice system while reducing crime. His community-oriented approach to rehabilitation and education is a breath of fresh air, and we are proud to support him to be LA’s next DA.”
“My campaign has been joined by a strong voice today, one that speaks on behalf of educators and students across Los Angeles,” said former District Attorney and Assistant Chief of the LAPD, George Gascón. “Teachers are preparing the next generation of LA’s leaders, and I am so humbled to have their support.”
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George Gascón is the Democratic Party’s nominee. He is endorsed by the LA Times, the LA Daily News, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, Kamal
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.