La Verne has become the latest city to issue a vote of no confidence in Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.
In a 3-2 vote Monday, July 19, the City Council agreed to condemn directives from the District Attorney’s Office, calling the policies a risk to public safety. Councilmember Wendy Lau and Muir Davis vote against the resolution.
La Verne becomes the 24th city in the county to pass a no-confidence vote targeting the DA. Last week, the San Dimas City Council voted 4-0 to approve a similar resolution, joining cities including Walnut, Norwalk and La Habra Heights that have recently taken no confidence votes.
Many of these cities have cited the DA’s polices — eliminating cash bail for misdemeanors and nonviolent offenses, taking the death penalty off the table in all cases, and eliminating sentencing enhancements — as reasons for their votes of no confidence. The votes are symbolic and do not impact the DA’s office.
Monday’s vote in La Verne came after a plea from Lau and Davis to table the decision until after a potential community meeting with Gascón’s office. The city had reached out to the DA’s office for a representative to attend Monday’s meeting but received no response, according to City Manager Bob Russi.
“How does a vote of no confidence get us where we wanna be,” Lau said. “This would not move us forward.”
Despite the councilmembers’ appeal, Mayor Tim Hepburn said Gascón’s policies have done more harm than good for the residents of La Verne. He noted that while he does support rehabilitation, the DA’s office not prosecuting certain individuals will only lead to more crime.
“This is making it that the criminals have more rights than the victims, it is just not right,” Hepburn said.