(NewsNation) — An effort to recall the Los Angeles district attorney over what critics deemed was a “soft on crime philosophy” has failed.
The Los Angles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk announced Monday that the recall petition against George Gascón did not garner enough signatures to qualify for the ballot. Of the 715,833 signatures that were submitted, 520,050 were deemed valid, falling short of the required 566,857 signatures.
“Grateful to move forward from this attempted political power grab — rest assured LA County, the work hasn’t stopped,” Gascon tweeted in response. “My primary focus has been and will always be keeping us safe and creating a more equitable justice system for all. I remain strongly committed to that work and to you.”
The prospect of a recall came amid a backlash against progressive prosecutors across the country who, critics claim, are not doing enough to combat rising crime.
“Simple possession of a gun is not considered a violent crime, ‘K?” Gascon said of his handling of the felon-with-a-gun case against alleged cop-killer Justin Flores, who was out on probation.
The killings gave new momentum to the recall effort against him.
This was the second attempt to recall Gascon, who survived an initial effort last year that failed due to a lack of fundraising and organization, the Los Angeles Times reported. Organizers were seeking to put the recall on the November ballot.
The county Registrar determined that of the 195,000 signatures that were deemed invalid, 88,000 were from unregistered voters.
A breakdown of the rest is as follows:
- Max Number of Times Signed (Duplicate): 43,593
- Different Address: 32,187
- Mismatch Signature: 9,490
- Canceled: 7,344
- Out of County Address: 5,374
- Other: 9,331
The recall organizers have 21 days to challenge the results.
