Lakewood Spokesman Says Its City Council's Adopted "Legislative Platform" (Statement of General City Policies) Enabled It To Send Letter Critical Of Three Of DA Gascón's Policies Without Further Agendizing Or Public Discussion
Agendized Action Didn't Mention Gascón Nor Did Any Lakewood Councilmembers Who Signed Letter Critical Of Those Policies
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(May 21, 2021, 10:15 a.m.) -- Following up on a story reported yesterday (May 20) on LBREPORT.com, City of Lakewood Public Information Officer Bill Grady (in response to our inquiry) emailed shortly after dawn May 21 that on March 23, the Lakewood City Council adopted a "Legislative Platform" (a statement of general city policies) that enabled it to send a letter (signed by all five Lakewood Councilmembers) critical of three of LA County District Attorney George Gascón's policies without further agendizing or public discussion.
The City's "Legislative Platform" doesn't mention Gascón nor did any Lakewood Councilmembers who voted to adopt it on March 23 and subsequently signed a May 13 letter sharply critical of those Gascón policies. The Lakewood Council didn't schedule an agendized item and voted action on its letter in which the public could be heard pro and con.
The "public safety" section of the City's "Legislative Platform" states that the City of Lakewood will:
...13. Support legislation and funding that promote enhanced law enforcement services in the community.
14. Support legislation that provides for greater protection to victims of crime and accountability in criminal prosecution and sentencing.
15. Support legislative efforts to address the negative impacts of AB 109, Proposition 47 and Proposition 57 on local governments and provide local law enforcement with the appropriate tools to reduce criminal activity.
16.Support legislation that maintains public safety and provides additional tools and resources to address challenges such as homelessness, mental health, and drug rehabilitation.
17. Support legislation that encourages legislators to coordinate and consult closely with law enforcement agencies prior to introducing legislation that affects public safety.
18.Support legislation that enhances community control of public education
19. Support reasonable criminal justice reform measures that are inclusive of concerns from prosecutors, victims’ rights groups, and law enforcement agencies and do not hinder law enforcement’s ability to protect the community.
20. Support programs that help ensure public safety through the assistance and rehabilitation of individuals challenged with mental and/or substance abuse illnesses and increase awareness and training opportunities.
21. Support legislation that provides funding to local agencies for emergency planning, disaster training, preparedness, prevention, protection, mitigation, response, recovery and resiliency to disasters, biological and environmental threats.
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The Lakewood Councilmembers' May 13 letter states that they express "deep concern" over certain policies that "we feel will, and indeed are beginning to have an adverse effect on the wellbeing of our community and its residents."
Their letter cites Special Directives 20-06, 20-07 and 20-08" and requests that these directives "be rescinded due to their negative and adverse effects on public safety in our city and the county."
The Lakewood Councilmembers' letter stops short of "no confidence" votes in Gascón taken by City Councils in at least a dozen LA County cities to date (Santa Clarita, Beverly Hills, Pico Rivera, Whittier, La Mirada, Covina, Lancaster, Rosemead, Azusa, Santa Fe Springs, Diamond Bar, Redondo Beach, Arcadia, Manhattan Beach). The votes aren't legally binding but are politically stinging actions sought by the committee to Recall Gascón.
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As previously reported by LBREPORT.com, Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia initially contributed sums to the campaigns of then-incumbent DA Jackie Lacey and challenger Gascón, but after LA Mayor Eric Garcetti announced support for Gascón, Garcia endorsed Gascón.
LB's City Council has declined thus far to take an agendized position on Gascón, a Long Beach resident in wealthy Naples. [LB residents lost their right to agendize Council items by a previous Council's action in the mid-1990s and subsequent Councils have refused to restore that right.]
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Gascón, a former SF DA who authored Prop 47 (in which voters reduced certain felonies to misdemeanors), was endorsed by Democrat party organizations and major media outlets. In November 2020, he defeated incumbent DA Jackie Lacey (a Black female veteran prosecutor) and swiftly announced a series of policy changes he called "reforms." These included declining to file gang enhancements and other charges lengthening prison terms, declining to prosecute most juveniles as adults, won't file cases seeking the death penalty, disparaging 1980's-1990's enacted "tough on crime" laws as ineffective, preventing deputy DA's from supporting crime victims in parole hearings, reopening police officer-involved shootings that Lacey's office deemed justifiable, all of which have collectively infuriated crime victims and veteran prosecutors. The now-ongoing recall followed.
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In response, DA Gascón has made small tweaks but not backed down on the major issues. He has defended his actions as progressive measures that will better use current criminal justice resources, deal with errant officers and encourage changed behavior of those convicted.
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