Full coverage: Jackie Lacey and George Gascón face off in L.A. County district attorney race
With debates about criminal justice reform and police accountability buzzing across the country, the race for Los Angeles County’s next top prosecutor may be one of the most important on the ballot in Southern California this November.
Jackie Lacey, the county’s first Black district attorney and a career prosecutor backed by local law enforcement, is seeking a third term in office, but she will have to fend off a challenge from former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón, who is considered one of the key figures in a push to elect more progressive prosecutors across the U.S.
The race is seen as a referendum on what 21st century criminal justice should look like, one that’s been exacerbated after a summer that saw large-scale opposition to the police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and the shooting of Jacob Blake. Lacey has been faulted by activists for her perceived hesitance to charge police in controversial killings, but Gascón has faced questions about his own record of not filing such charges during his eight years in San Francisco.
You can review The Times’ coverage of the race here.
See if your neighborhood voted for George Gascón or Jackie Lacey in the L.A. County District Attorney race.
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey concedes, clearing way for George Gascón to become head of the largest prosecutor’s office in the nation.
Nov. 6, 2020
A general election redefined by a summer of protests against police brutality and racial injustice, coupled with a nationwide turnout surge among progressives, could propel Gascón into office.
Nov. 5, 2020
Voters Tuesday faced contrasting visions of law enforcement in the race between incumbent Jackie Lacey and George Gascón.
Nov. 4, 2020
A push to back progressive district attorney candidates across the U.S. is forcing some law-and-order incumbents to embrace criminal justice reform
Oct. 31, 2020
Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey has been a major player in advocating for mentally ill defendants. But some critics say her programs are not expansive enough
Oct. 27, 2020
Juan Rayford and Dupree Glass were sentenced to life for a shooting they say they did not commit. Sixteen years later, they are walking free.
Oct. 22, 2020
Protesters filed a civil suit in a March incident in which Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey’s husband, David, is accused of aiming a firearm at them.
Oct. 20, 2020
George Gascón’s record of using restorative justice programs in the Bay Area has won him a raft of endorsements from progressive politicians, but crime victims, former colleagues and criminal justice activists have begun to question if he truly made San Francisco safer during his tenure.
Oct. 17, 2020
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti now supports ex-San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón over incumbent L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey in the race.
Oct. 4, 2020
With the race to lead the country’s largest prosecutor’s office entering its final stretch, the incumbent, Los Angeles County Dist.
Oct. 8, 2020
Police unions and mega-donors have pumped nearly $12 million into the contentious Los Angeles County district attorney race.
D.A. Jackie Lacey has handed off an investigation tied to an LAPD officer whose father is a powerful police union figure. The union has donated to Lacey’s reelection campaign.
Sept. 24, 2020
In his bid to become L.A. County’s next district attorney, George Gascón has touted his record as a reformer. While many praise his history, questions are being raised about his handling of LAPD.
Sept. 19, 2020
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge decided the prosecution of David Lacey can continue, rejecting a defense argument that the California attorney general’s office decision to oversee the case was improper.
Sept. 10, 2020
Gov. Gavin Newsom endorsed George Gascón on Tuesday in his bid to unseat Jackie Lacey as Los Angeles County’s district attorney.
Aug. 25, 2020
George Gascón’s campaign accused L.A. Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey of misusing public resources during her campaign.
Aug. 24, 2020
David Lacey, husband of the L.A. County district attorney, faces charges after video showed him waving a gun at protesters outside their home in March.
Aug. 4, 2020
The incumbent prosecutor nearly avoided a runoff. Now, with political winds shifting, her opponent eyes a path to an upset in November.
Protests over police brutality and criminal justice reform intensify race for L.A. district attorney
The battle between Jackie Lacey and George Gascón to lead the nation’s largest local district attorney’s office is already being influenced by the fallout of national calls to change American policing.
July 1, 2020
Rep. Adam B. Schiff, calling for “changes to end systemic racism & reform criminal justice,” drops endorsement of L.A. County Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey.
June 21, 2020
Sen. Bernie Sanders named George Gascón as one of ten reform-focused candidates he was endorsing in the wake of George Floyd’s death
June 4, 2020
Los Angeles Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey is all but certain to face former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón in a runoff in November, according to the latest returns
March 17, 2020
A look at what George Gascón, Jackie Lacey and Rachael Rossi bring to the table.
March 2, 2020
Jackie Lacey became L.A. County’s first female and first black D.A. in 2012, partly due to black voters. Political observers think her community support is slipping.
March 1, 2020
Los Angeles County voters will have to choose between incumbent Dist. Atty. Jackie Lacey, former San Francisco Dist. Atty. George Gascón and former public defender Rachel Rossi when they head to the polls Tuesday.
Feb. 29, 2020
The donations represent the political canyon between incumbent Jackie Lacey and George Gascón — law enforcement unions on one side, progressive donors on the other.
Feb. 24, 2020
Jackie Lacey and George Gascón combine for more than 60 years of experience in law enforcement, yet their visions to run the nation’s largest local prosecutor’s office couldn’t be more different. The Times reviewed crime data, filing rates and other metrics to compare their respective terms in Los Angeles and San Francisco
Feb. 18, 2020
Candidates in Los Angeles County D.A. race tout reform, but differ on strategies in debate punctuated by protests
Jan. 30, 2020
Former San Francisco Dist. Atty.
Oct. 28, 2019