Four years after losing to challenger George Gascon, the pendulum of Angelenos’ feelings toward the criminal justice system swung back to center in the 2024 election cycle, with former Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey saying, “Oh no. We’re having that “I told you so” moment.
Lacey, who lost about 10% of the vote in 2020 and was ousted by outgoing District Attorney Gascón, said he was not surprised by his former political rival’s defeat.
“It was really consistent with what I was hearing from my neighbors on the street,” Lacey told NBCLA’s Conan Nolan on Sunday’s news conference. “People were afraid. They were less safe.”
Lacey said the political breakthrough to defeat Gascón while promoting police accountability and criminal justice reform reflects a national trend.
“It was a perfect storm,” the former prosecutor said of his re-election campaign in the aftermath of George Floyd’s killing as people grew frustrated with COVID-19 restrictions. “The criminal justice reform people, who were much more left-leaning, took advantage of that and saw it as an opportunity to get the public to buy into this.”
California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 36 in the 2024 election. The proposal would strengthen penalties for some theft and drug possession crimes, while revoking some key provisions of Proposition 47, which Californians passed a decade ago.
Lacey said he supports his former district attorney, incoming District Attorney Nathan Hockman, and feels vindicated.
“I’m really happy that voters saw through what I thought was a smoke and mirrors campaign,” she said.
The district attorney’s office will move slightly to the center in December, but Lacey advised the new district attorney not to rush things back.
“The first thing I would do is go in and listen to what they have to say, because some of the reforms he may want to keep,” Lacey said.
Lacey urged Hochman to learn from Gascón’s policies and said he believed her successor had “abandoned the victims.”
“One of the first things I will do is get the prosecutor to reopen the parole hearing with the victim and make sure the parole board has information about the survivor,” she said.
Regarding the Menendez brothers’ case, where the Gascón government is seeking the early release of murder convicts, Lacey said Hochman already has the “right answer.”
“Please review the entire file, review the law, review both cases, and then make your decision,” Lacey said. “I’m so glad that’s not my job anymore.”
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