Manhattan Beach Endorses Gascón Recall Effort
Apr 21, 2022 03:27PM ● By Jeanne Fratello
L.A. County District Attorney George Gascon at his swearing-in ceremony.
The Manhattan Beach City Council has voted, 3-2, to endorse a recall effort against Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
In doing so, Manhattan Beach has become the 34th city in Los Angeles County to formally endorse the recall effort.
The two "no" votes came from Manhattan Beach Mayor Hildy Stern and Councilmember Richard Montgomery, who have been working with Gascón's office in an effort to permit Manhattan Beach to participate in a "homeless court" diversion program with the city of Redondo Beach.
Recall Resolution
The resolution is based on a nearly identical resolution approved by the city of Beverly Hills. The resolution:
1. Expresses an official endorsement for the recall of Gascón.
2. Requests that Gascón rescind Special Directive 20-06 (eliminating cash bail for any misdemeanor, non-serious felony, or non-violent felony offense), 20-07 (declining or dismissing numerous misdemeanor charges), and 20-08 (eliminating several sentencing enhancements).
3. Requests that Gascón uphold the laws of the state, and requests that no further
special directives be issued that are "inconsistent with the letter, spirit and intent of state law."
2. Requests that Gascón rescind Special Directive 20-06 (eliminating cash bail for any misdemeanor, non-serious felony, or non-violent felony offense), 20-07 (declining or dismissing numerous misdemeanor charges), and 20-08 (eliminating several sentencing enhancements).
3. Requests that Gascón uphold the laws of the state, and requests that no further
special directives be issued that are "inconsistent with the letter, spirit and intent of state law."
A second resolution expresses "no confidence" in Gascón.
'If You Want to Change the Law, That's a Different Job'
Mayor Pro Tem Steve Napolitano, who had previously held off on endorsing the recall - and who had been
considered a "swing" vote on the issue - voted in support of the recall on Tuesday night.
"To say that just willy-nilly you’re not going to enforce an entire code, an entire law against anybody, I think is going against the job that he was elected to do, the job of the DA," said Napolitano. "If you don't like the law, if you want to change the law, that’s a different job. That’s called the legislature. Run for that. Run to be in the assembly or the senate or the governor. DAs aren't supposed to wholeheartedly ignore entire laws at the expense of others."
Napolitano added that he considered this vote separate from the city's efforts to join the homeless court in Redondo Beach. "Whether we get it or not, which it doesn’t look like we will, is neither here nor there at this point," he said.
Does Recall Reflect Manhattan Beach's Needs?
Speaking out against the resolution, Stern said that an uptick in crime was part of a national trend that is the result of many factors, including the pandemic, economic downturn, the rise of "ghost guns," and a lack of policing resources. "It’s far more complicated than trying to blame one district attorney," she said.
Furthermore, said Stern, she did not feel that the outcry over Gascón's handling of crime necessarily represented the desires of a majority of Manhattan Beach residents. A recent community survey showed that 93% of Manhattan Beach residents perceived the city as a safe place to live, she noted.
"That response was not from a NextDoor conversation or a handful of hateful anonymous emails; it was actually a reliable survey of this town, and that’s the town we represent. We don’t base our representation on some national political playbook that doesn’t reflect this town," she said.
Stern added that she felt that the resolution would be "incredibly disruptive" to the city's efforts to work with the DA's office on crime and the homeless court issue. The resolution decries Gascón for Special Directive 20-07 (declining or dismissing numerous misdemeanor charges), which is exactly what the city is trying to do with homeless court, said Stern.
"It's contradictory to what our community is asking us to do. This is a cut and paste of what another jurisdiction has done," she said. "I can’t imagine why you would want to to sign something that is not representative of Manhattan Beach. I think we could work together to find solutions that actually solve crime concerns in our city rather than this political attempt to keep us divided."
Nevertheless, when Stern noted that she and Montgomery had another upcoming meeting with Gascón's office on the homeless court issue in two weeks, Councilmember Suzanne Hadley said she didn't think yet another meeting would make a difference.
"I don’t think another meeting will work; I think he is kicking the can; he is fighting for his political life. They will say whatever they have to to keep you on the 'used car lot,'" Hadley said. "It’s a nice try, but time’s up."
"It's contradictory to what our community is asking us to do. This is a cut and paste of what another jurisdiction has done," she said. "I can’t imagine why you would want to to sign something that is not representative of Manhattan Beach. I think we could work together to find solutions that actually solve crime concerns in our city rather than this political attempt to keep us divided."
Nevertheless, when Stern noted that she and Montgomery had another upcoming meeting with Gascón's office on the homeless court issue in two weeks, Councilmember Suzanne Hadley said she didn't think yet another meeting would make a difference.
"I don’t think another meeting will work; I think he is kicking the can; he is fighting for his political life. They will say whatever they have to to keep you on the 'used car lot,'" Hadley said. "It’s a nice try, but time’s up."
In 2020, Manhattan Beach Voted for Lacey
Los Angeles County voters elect a non-partisan district attorney for the county every four years.
Gascón was elected in November 2020 with 53.7% of the vote in L.A. County. Two-term incumbent Jackie Lacey won 46.3%of the vote.
However, in Manhattan Beach, Lacey earned 54.5% of the vote, compared to Gascon's 45.5% of the vote.
An earlier effort across L.A. County to recall Gascón in 2021 fell short in its attempt to gather signatures.
An earlier effort across L.A. County to recall Gascón in 2021 fell short in its attempt to gather signatures.
For the current recall effort to be successful, organizers must collect more than a half-million signatures from Los Angeles County voters by July 6 to force a recall vote in November.
