The county of Los Angeles has a distinct legacy of setting precedent. Whether in the cultural sphere or in the political, the influence and impact of Los Angeles is undeniable. The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is the largest prosecutorial office in the United States. Unlike any other country in the world, the United States is the only nation that elects rather than appoints district attorneys, giving the public a unique opportunity to elect someone who truly understands the needs of the governed and aligns with our values. Admittedly, many of us do not understand the power of the district attorney (DA), but with voting already underway and Election Day nearing, we should be paying more attention to who will serve as the next chief prosecutor.
Who is in the Los Angeles district attorney 2020 race?
The Los Angeles district attorney race is between incumbent DA Jackie Lacey and challenger George Gascón. This race is hotly contested because of the complicated and rich histories of the candidates' rise to prominence. Lacey is a career prosecutor who ran on a platform to uplift issues to challenge the criminalization of mental illness. She became the first Black woman to become elected district attorney in Los Angeles in 2012. Eight years later, her failure to charge police officers who have killed civilians and her decision to seek the death penalty are Angelenos’ most compelling critiques of her record. Gascón also has an interesting background. A former police officer who went on to serve nine years as district attorney of San Francisco, he led several state initiatives that designated him as part of the “progressive prosecutor movement.” But Los Angeles County is vastly different from San Francisco in both size and political ideology, and critics fear that Gascón’s progressive reforms might not be up to scale or favor for the needs of Los Angeles County.
What is so significant about this Los Angeles district attorney 2020 race?
A district attorney is, essentially, a lawyer who prosecutes criminal cases against people charged with crimes. The crimes can range from murder to charges like vandalism, which ultimately means that that the district attorney also has the power to decide what charge or charges, if any, are appropriate based on the evidence presented. To give some perspective, here in Los Angeles, the DA’s office has jurisdiction over more than 10 million residents, which ranges from the Antelope Valley to Long Beach and from Pomona to Malibu. With such a vast jurisdiction, the DA’s office “prosecutes more than 71,000 serious crimes called felonies throughout Los Angeles County each year. They also prosecute roughly 112,000 less serious crimes known as misdemeanors in unincorporated areas and in 78 of the county’s 88 cities,” according to the office’s website. In LA County, the elected district attorney has the opportunity to set the precedent for criminal justice reform for the rest of the nation.
Over the decades, the number of incarcerated people in the United States has increased exponentially and, as outlined in their job description, district attorneys have played a hand in turning the United States into the largest jailer in the world. The power of the district attorney is deeply consequential, and brims with the potential to change the course.
Get out the vote
Nov. 3, 2020 is a critical moment for us. As voters, we have the power to challenge history and it is our civic duty to show up at the ballot box as informed as possible to cast our vote. We have a responsibility to show up for ourselves, our families, and our community and to stay the course to hold elected officials accountable to the promises they make. It was important for me to reach out to the Los Angeles district attorney candidates to have a candid conversation about what’s important to them in this historical moment, how they view the role of a DA, and their vision for Los Angeles County. While I have publicly expressed my support for Gascón's candidacy, as a community leader, I feel strongly that my role is to ensure community members in Los Angeles and around the country are as informed as possible about where both candidates stand on the issues that matter most. I'm grateful that both Gascón and Lacey took the time to sit down with me, and hope our conversations leave readers feeling equipped to make an informed choice.
Click the links below to read each interview:
Q&A: Patrisse Cullors in conversation with incumbent Los Angeles DA Jackie Lacey
Q&A: Patrisse Cullors in conversation with Los Angeles DA candidate George Gascón
Patrisse Cullors is a co-founder of Black Lives Matter and a senior fellow at Prism. Follow her on Twitter @OsopePatrisse.
Prism is a BIPOC-led nonprofit news outlet that centers the people, places and issues currently underreported by our national media. Through our original reporting, analysis, and commentary, we challenge dominant, toxic narratives perpetuated by the mainstream press and work to build a full and accurate record of what’s happening in our democracy. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.