LA DA George Gascón: Diamond Bar Votes No Confidence

DIAMOND BAR, CA — Diamond Bar joined a growing list of cities across Los Angeles County on Tuesday in approving a nonbinding resolution of no confidence in District Attorney George Gascón.

Diamond Bar joined Azusa and Santa Fe Springs this week in passing such a measure, as well as the cities of Beverly Hills, Covina, La Mirada, Lancaster, Pico Rivera, Santa Clarita and Whitter, which passed similar measures earlier.

Diamond Bar's vote was symbolic and has no effect on the district attorney’s work but expressed the city's dissatisfaction with Gascón's policies.

Four council members voted in favor of the measure. Mayor Pro Tem Ruth Low recused herself, citing a conflict of interest as she is a county deputy district attorney.

The vote followed more than an hour of public comment from Diamond Bar residents who overwhelmingly supported the vote of no confidence.

Public safety was the chief concern for the council members who approved the measure. Gascón’s policies have put their community and the rest of Los Angeles County at risk, they said. Those included eliminating cash bail for misdemeanor and nonviolent crimes, no longer charging repeat offenders with sentencing enhancements, and no longer seeking the death penalty.

Councilman Steve Tye first proposed the measure at the council’s May 4 meeting. The no confidence vote went beyond party politics and was a “human rights issue … a community issue,” he said.

“I truly believe that George Gascón would have been so much happier as a public defender,” Tye said. “I think he’s confused about what his role is as a district attorney for Los Angeles.”

Brian Worthington, a city resident, said in the public comment period that he understood the need for criminal reform but felt that Gascón's measures went too far.

“There are many things that can involve decriminalization or lesser offenses,” he said. “But when you’re advocating for the criminal as opposed for the victim, we’ve crossed a boundary that we’ve never crossed before in Los Angeles County.”

“This is going to send another message to Mr. Gascón, which he’ll probably ignore,” Diamond Bar Mayor Nancy Lyons said. “But, we can only do what we can do here.”