Angelenos are notoriously apathetic. They demonstrated it again with the news that organizers were unable to collect enough signatures to place the recall of District Attorney George Gascon on the ballot in November. This despite him being incredibly unpopular: a recent poll showed he would lose a recall vote in a landslide. This does not bode well for those seeking change through what will be on the ballot, namely the LA mayor’s race.
The joke is that Angelenos are apathetic, but they do not care. They arrive late and leave early from ballgames. They do not dress up (the only place you may see a tie or dress shoes is in court or at a funeral). And they are not overly concerned with politics. This is explained by the weather. When you have perfect weather year-round (a light rain is the top story on the local news), you tend to be more content and less irritated by ancillary problems. LA is like the restaurant with a great location. It can get away with high prices and so-so food and service because the people will come regardless.
This is the second time that organizers failed to get enough signatures. After failing the first time, it was expected they would certainly manage to get enough the second time. For months now it has been assumed that the recall of Gascon would be on the November ballot. The crime problem has only gotten worse.
Further, his counterpart in San Francisco, Chesa Boudin, made big headlines when he was soundly rejected in a June recall vote in San Francisco. They are of the same ilk. Gascon was his predecessor, and both are George Soros darlings. Yet Angelenos were still not moved action.
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Organizers were required to get 10 percent of eligible voters to sign the petition. Roy Behr, a Democratic political consultant, told the LA Times, "With enough money, you can get 10% of signatures on just about anything, and there’s no doubt at all that over 10% of voters in L.A. County would support a recall." Apparently, not in LA. They came up about 46,000 signatures shy after 27% were found to be invalid.
Boxes of signatures The Recall George Gascon campaign dropped off at the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters office. (Fox News)
In response to the news, Gascon showed no humility. Instead, he reassured Angelenos it would be business as usual. "My primary focus has been & will always be keeping us safe & creating a more equitable justice system for all," he said in a statement.
Put simply, "more equitable" means finding ways to prosecute fewer minorities. To Gascon, these minority groups are the true victims of so-called "systemic racism." Gascon masterminded Prop 47, which converted a host of crimes from felony to misdemeanor in California. Steal less than $950 and you face only misdemeanor charges. Soros donated $2.25 million to his campaign. (No, Soros does not live in LA, he is from Hungry and lives in New York.) Also providing over $2 million was Netflix CEO, Reed Hastings, and his wife. (No, they also do not live in LA, they live in Santa Cruz).
Gascon immediately announced that he would not seek cash bail for numerous offenses and would release those currently awaiting such bail. He also said he would never seek the death penalty (despite it being the law in California) and would end charging juveniles as adults. He also announced he would reevaluate all sentences of prisoners having served over 20 years.
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Homicides are now at a 15-year high in LA. Auto thefts were up 59% from 2019 to 2021. Burglaries are so prevalent that the police recently issued an "Area Safety Bulletin" about "violent street robberies" by local gangs. The bulletin warns of a rash of robberies whereby residents are targeted based upon their car with the target being expensive watches, jewelry, and purses.
The increase in crime is palpable. It is no longer about statistics. Most Angelenos, including me, have been or know someone who has been a recent crime victim. But incredibly, we have now lost our best chance at real change. Organizers say they will not make a third attempt. So, Gascon is free to continue his equitable approach to crime fighting for another two years.
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This also does not bode well for change coming through the November mayor’s race. The tough-on-crime candidate is billionaire real estate developer Rick Caruso. He was a supporter of the recall and wants to expand the police department. His opponent is the community organizer Democrat Rep. Karen Bass. She opposed the recall and does not want to expand the department. Gascon was at her campaign kickoff event.
Bass beat Caruso by seven points in the open primary. With a Gascon recall on the ballot it was expected that Caruso would do better in the November general election. Without that, and with an apathetic electorate, it looks more like Bass will win and nothing will change. The only consolation for Angelenos is that that includes the weather.