The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón over his progressive policies.
The city council’s 5-0 vote in favor of a resolution demanding Gascón’s recall is not legally binding, but expresses the wealthy enclave’s fury over his policies as crime soars in the area.
‘Over the last 12 months, Los Angeles County has seen a dramatic increase in widespread crime including follow-home robberies, smash-and-grab incidents and the tragic death of beloved Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant,’ the city council said in a statement.
The council also cited a number of policy directives issued by Gascón, including the elimination of bail for any misdemeanor or ‘non-serious’ felony, and a policy of refusing to charge numerous misdemeanors.
The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón
The council cited the murder of Jaqueline Avant in her home last month (above) in a statement expressing fury with Gascon’s policies
Tuesday’s vote was held after Beverly Hills Mayor Bob Wunderlich and Vice Mayor Lili Bosse requested that the item be brought forward for consideration.
Although Beverly Hills is a bastion for Democrats, with 71 percent of voters choosing Joe Biden in the last presidential election, residents are unhappy with what they see as the results of Gascón’s policies.
The district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Wednesday afternoon.
Gascón is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting ‘tough on crime’ policies as racist and a failure.
Last month, Gascón made waves by expanding a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies.
Under the expansion, youth would be eligible for ‘diversion’ after being charged with burglary, assault, vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft person, sexual battery, and arson, according to a leaked memo.
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LA crime is on the upswing, according to police statistics. Homicides are up by 46 percent, car thefts are up 53 percent and shootings have risen by a staggering 51 percent in Los Angeles compared with the same time frame through November 27 of 2019
A number of felonies would remain ineligible for diversion, including homicide, forcible rape, gun crimes, and crimes resulting in serious injuries.
Gascon has lamented that accused killer Aariel Maynor (above) was not properly rehabilitated earlier in his criminal career
Meanwhile, Los Angeles, like many cities across the country, has witnessed an alarming rise in violent crime over the past two years.
Homicides in the City of Angeles rose 52 percent last year from 2019, and shooting incidents were up 59 percent, according to LAPD data.
The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers.
Last month, Beverly Hills residents were stunned by the home invasion murder of Jacqueline Avant, who was gunned down in front of her husband, famed music producer Clarence Avant.
Gascón responded by lamenting that the career criminal charged in the murder hadn’t been properly rehabilitated.
The murder of Clarence Avant’s 81-year-old philanthropist wife, Jacqueline inside her $7 million Beverly Hills home on December 1 follows a disturbing rise in crime
Aariel Maynor, 29, was on parole when he was arrested earlier this month and charged with the shocking home-invasion murder in Avant’s Beverly Hills mansion.
Maynor served two prison terms of five years and four years on separate robbery convictions, in addition to convictions on domestic violence and grand theft charges.
‘As far as we can see, he never received any meaningful intervention that may have helped him set his life on a different path,’ Gascon told reporters of the case on Wednesday. ‘One that would have prevented the terrible tragedy from occurring.’
‘I’m angry at a system that allows a disturbed young man with a proven track record of violent behavior to be cycled in and out of prison with little or no meaning intervention to be able to gain access to an AR-15 military-style weapon and go out and kill Jacqueline Avant,’ he said.
This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk
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