Garcetti Abandons Lacey, Endorsing Her Challenger For DA

LOS ANGELES, CA — In a major shake up less than a month before election day, Mayor Eric Garcetti switched rescinded his endorsement in the Los Angeles County district attorney's race Sunday, switching from incumbent Jackie Lacey to challenger George Gascon.

The mayor tweeted his change of heart Sunday evening. "I'm proud to endorse @GeorgeGascon for L.A. District Attorney," he wrote. Black Lives Matters activist, who have been working to oust Lacey 2, planned a press conference Monday to pressure other city leaders to follow suit.

Lacey, the county's first Black person to hold the post, has been targeted by Black Lives Matter activists, contending she has not been aggressive enough in holding officer's accountable for police brutality. In the wake of nationwide protests calling for criminal justice reforms after the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, many officeholders have walked back their endorsements of Lacey, who is seeking a third term.

Gascon served as D.A. for San Francisco for eight years and has worked in the Los Angeles Police Department. He has received endorsements from national leaders such as U.S. Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.

Lacey dismissed Garcetti's endorsement, "as an attempt by Gascon to distract from his performance in a Saturday night debate, which she termed a `disaster,"' according to the Los Angeles Times.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.