NATIONAL UNION OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS ENDORSE GEORGE GASCÓN FOR LOS ANGELES DISTRICT ATTORNEY
LOS ANGELES – Today, George Gascón’s campaign for Los Angeles District Attorney is proud to announce the endorsement of the National Union of Healthcare Workers (NUHW).
“On behalf of the more than 15,000 members of the National Union of Healthcare Workers, we are proud to endorse George Gascón for Los Angeles District Attorney,” said NUHW President, Sal Rosselli. “For too long, Los Angeles’ jails have doubled as the nation’s largest mental health institution. We need a District Attorney who understands that using the criminal justice system to respond to a public health problem is not only inhumane and ineffective, but it is making the health and homelessness crisis on our streets even worse. We trust George Gascón to fix this broken system for all Angelenos.”
“As an LA native and former union member, I’m incredibly proud to have the support of the National Union of Healthcare Workers,” said former District Attorney and Assistant Chief of the LAPD, George Gascón. “NUHW members are on the front-lines of the County’s behavioral health crisis, and I look forward to working with them to enhance coordination between law enforcement and public health, deliver a coordinated system of care, and make LA a safer and healthier place to live and work.”
The National Union of Healthcare Workers is a member-led movement for quality patient care and a stronger voice in the workplace. For more information about NUHW go to www.NUHW.org. For more information about George Gascón go to www.GeorgeGascon.org.
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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 outoing 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.