LOS ANGELES – Today, the Speaker of the California State Assembly, Anthony Rendon, announced his support for George Gascón in his race for Los Angeles County District Attorney. Speaker Rendon, who represents California’s 63rd district including Cudahy where Gascón grew up, has served in the state assembly since 2012, and as speaker since 2016.
“The voters and the legislature alike continue to embrace reforms to end California’s involvement in a failed war on drugs and the policies of mass incarceration that defined the 1980s and 1990s,” said California State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon. “Over the years, George Gascón has stood apart from his law enforcement colleagues, supporting reforms that are taking us safely into the 21st century. George has always stood up to the wealthy and well-connected, even if it meant that he would stand alone. That is the type of leadership that LA needs, and I’m proud to support him to be Los Angeles County District Attorney.”
“I am honored to have Speaker Rendon’s endorsement as we reimagine our criminal justice system,” said former District Attorney of San Francisco, George Gascón. “Like myself, Speaker Rendon struggled in high school yet continued to persevere attending Cal State Fullerton and later obtaining a PhD from UC Riverside before dedicating himself to public service. As a lifelong Angeleno, I thank Speaker Rendon for his trust in supporting me to be the next Los Angeles County District Attorney.”
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George Gascón is the Democratic Party’s nominee. He is endorsed by the LA Times and the LA Daily News, Vice Presidential nominee Kamala Harris, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, Governor Gavin Newsom, Black Lives Matter cofounder Patrisse Cullors, labor leader and civil rights icon Dolores Huerta, and former Chief of the LAPD Charlie Beck. Click here for a full list of his supporters.
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.