Here's what you need to know about the LA County District Attorney's race
The race for LA County's District Attorney position will be on the ballot in Southern California this November so, here's what you need to know about the two candidates.
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The LA County District Attorney's office is the largest local prosecutor's office in the United States and the race for LA County's next top prosecutor will be on the ballot in Southern California this November.
The DA oversees a staff of more than 2,000 people and the office prosecutes over 183,000 misdemeanors and felonies in an area covering more than 4,000 square miles, according to the LA County DA's website.
So, let's meet the candidates.
First there's the two-term incumbent LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.
Lacey is an LA native that graduated from USC Law School. She began working for the DA's office in the '80s and has since worked her way up the ranks. Lacey was sworn in as the 42nd District Attorney in 2012 making her the first woman and African American to serve in the position.
Lacey supports bail reform and the death penalty. She also established the Criminal Justice Mental Health Project in LA County which works to provide alternatives to incarceration for people with mental health issues.
She has been criticized during her tenure for the racial disparity in county jails, high incarceration rates and for failing to prosecute law enforcement officers for fatal shootings and other on-duty uses of force.
Running against DA Jackie Lacey is former San Francisco District Attorney, George Gascón.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Gascón joined the army and later the LAPD. He worked his way up to the assistant chief position of the department. In 2006 he became a police chief in Mesa, Arizona, and in 2009 he became a police chief in San Francisco. In 2011, he was appointed San Francisco's District Attorney.
Gascón has said he would abolish cash bail and opposes the death penalty. He co-authored Proposition 47, which reclassified some nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors and allowed defendants to renegotiate punishments for past convictions.
He's been criticized for Prop 47, which some in law enforcement said has led to an increase in crime.
You'll find both these candidates on the ballot come November. To check your voter status, visit voterstatus.sos.gov.
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