George Gascón was elected as the Los Angeles County district attorney amid nationwide protests against police brutality. However, he now faces reelection in a very different context and faces a wide range of opponents, including ones from his own office, the New York Times reports. Gascón is a progressive former police chief and the former top prosecutor in San Francisco. He faces 11 opponents, most of whom are running to the right of him and are challenging some of his policies. Many candidates have offered voters a narrative of out-of-control crime in Los Angeles, fueled by lenient policies that allow criminals to go free.
Those narratives, however, are contradicted by data that show a meaningful reduction in violent crime in recent years. Property crime, though, has risen substantially in some categories. Here are the candidates running against Gascón: Eric Siddall, a violent-crimes prosecutor. Jonathan Hatami, a child-abuse prosecutor. Maria Ramirez, a veteran prosecutor who has sued Gascón. John McKinney, who has been a prosecutor in the Major Crimes Division. Nathan Hochman, a former U.S. assistant attorney general. Debra Archuleta, an L.A. County Superior Court judge. Jeff Chemerinsky, who headed the violent and organized crime section of the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles. Lloyd Masson, a prosecutor in Gascón’s office. Craig Mitchell, a former prosecutor turned judge who is known around Los Angeles for the Skid Row Running Club. David S. Milton, a retired judge who has presented himself as a “law and order” candidate. Dan Kapelovitz, a liberal criminal defense lawyer who is running on promises to tackle the root causes of crime.