George Gascón is the far-left district attorney in Los Angeles. He’s among those prosecutors who, with the backing of George Soros, have gained power and are using it to let criminals walk, or at least to treat them leniently.
To the latter end, Gascón issued a directive to his attorneys forbidding them from seeking longer sentences for repeat offenders under the state’s Three Strikes Law, as well as in several other types of cases where the law mandates sentencing enhancements for those convicted of serious crimes who have prior convictions.
Gascón’s willful refusal to follow California law didn’t sit well with his prosecutors. The Association of Deputy District Attorneys for Los Angeles County (ADDA) brought a lawsuit against Gascón.
Now, a local judge, James Chalfant, has granted a preliminary injunction against Gascón’s directive. The judge said:
The District Attorney’s disregard of the Three Strikes law ‘plead and prove’ requirement is unlawful, as is requiring deputy DA’s to seek dismissal of pending sentencing enhancements without a lawful basis.
Judge Chalfant went further. He declared that the district attorney’s order forbidding all three-strikes sentences puts prosecutors at risk of being found in contempt of court for illegal and unethical conduct.
Gascón claims that his directives “are a product of the will of the people.” They are the product of electing Gascón, to be sure. However, the Three Strikes law reflects the will of the people. It was enacted by the peoples’ legislature. Thus, as Judge Chalfant said, this law “is what the voters and the legislature both wanted.”
If the people have changed their minds, they can elect representatives who will repeal the law. But Gascón has no right to repeal it by fiat. His attempt to do so shows that he has no regard for the law — an unfortunate trait in a man whose job is to enforce it.
The ruling against Gascón’s directive has implications for San Francisco, where Gascón used to be the D.A. Soros’ man in San Francisco, Chesa Boudin, has said he won’t seek three-strikes sentences except in “extraordinary circumstances.” It shouldn’t require extraordinary circumstances for a prosecutor to follow the law.
We’ll see how it goes in San Francisco.
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