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California Governor Gavin Newsom said in a television interview that he doesn’t “know enough” about the job performance of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon to determine if he’s doing a “good job.”
Newsom made the statement during an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles, and added that he’s “deeply concerned” with some criticism that Gascon has received.
“Is he doing a good job?,” Newsom was asked.
“I don’t know enough about the job he’s done. I’m deeply concerned about the criticism,” Newsom responded.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks during a news conference after meeting with students at James Denman Middle School on October 01, 2021 in San Francisco, California.
(Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
“We have expressed ourselves very publicly along those lines, including in Los Angeles as it relates to some of the issues happening with retail theft, some of the issues with what’s happening on the railroad yards, and I’ve expressed my own issues privately as well and I’ll leave the more objective analysis of his job to the locals,” Newsom added.
Newsom’s comments come amid a recall campaign aimed at ousting Gascon.
The recall campaign passed a critical milestone on Thursday, as enough signatures have been verified by the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder to move to a “full check of all signatures submitted.”
Gascon has been criticized by people in Los Angeles for being soft on crime, and tensions have risen with recent incidents that his office has handled.
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Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is facing a recall attempt and criticism from various sides over his criminal justice reforms.
(Robyn Beck / AFP)
In June, two El Monte police officers were killed by a gang member, Justin William Flores, who was on pronation for a weapons-related charged and received a lenient sentence because of a plea deal.
One of Gascon’s policies allowed Flores to plead no contest in relation to a felon in possession of a firearm charge, thus receiving a light sentence even with a strike already on his criminal record.
Gascon told Fox News Digital that his office doesn’t have a “crystal ball.”
“This individual had no history of violence,” Gascon said. “He was on bail for months and could have committed a violent act for a month – We don’t have a crystal ball.”
Fox News’ Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
