One of the more important and most overlooked races going on in San Francisco right now is the campaign to be the city’s next district attorney. When Kamala Harris left the post for state office last year, outgoing Mayor Gavin Newsom appointed then-Police Chief George Gascon to take her place. Now, Gascon is running for a full four-year term, but faces stiff competition from four other candidates. Previously, we spoke with Bill Fazio, David Onek, and Sharmin Bock. Today, we sit down with the sitting District Attorney and former Police Chief George Gascon.
George Gascon
RECENT POSTS
Tonight: DA candidates debate
- George Gascon, Sharmin Bock, David Onek, Vu Trinh
In an interview with the Fog City Journal, Assemblyman Tom Ammiano said this of the San Francisco mayoral race: “As many people as we think know about this, even if it’s a thousand or so, we’re all insiders and it doesn’t really click with the electorate until around after Labor Day and October.” When you consider there that Ammiano there is talking about the competition to become the city’s top public official, it’s hard to believe how much attention the race for a considerably more obscure office, district attorney, is already getting.
The DA candidates debate: Part 2
San Francisco’s three candidates for district attorney faced off in a church basement last night in a debate sponsored by the Noe Valley Democratic Club.
The debate, hosted by columnist and blogger Melissa Griffin, featured a number of themes that have come up regularly in this highly charged race:
The race for San Francisco district attorney heats up
Troy Holden
San Francisco’s next district attorney will deal with police scandals, an evolving prison system, and budget cuts, among the myriad crimes, policies, and politics an average prosecutor encounters. Who will that person be? So far, we have three people in the running:
San Francisco’s top prosecutor and defender debate the issues
Today, the University of San Francisco’s Law School hosted a talk with San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and Public Defender Jeff Adachi. The complete audio is above, but here are some of the highlights:
- On the daily grind: The two adversaries discussed the adversarial nature of our criminal justice system, which Gascon said is a “winner takes all,” boxing match between lawyers. Gascon said he hopes that court rooms will become more collaborative places with the best interests of society–instead of simply winning a case–at the root of decisions made by prosecutors and defenders.
Sheriff Joe is in town
Or close to town, anyway. Sheriff Joe Arpaio, of Maricopa County, Arizona, is attending a Joe party tonight in Montara (along with Joe the Plumber and senate candidate Joe Miller of Alaska). Speaking to the Chron’s own Joe (Garofoli), Arpaio took the opportunity to rip on his former nemesis, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon:
He ripped sanctuary cities like San Francisco — and his former Arizona law enforcement colleague/San Francisco police chief/current DA George Gascon.
“He didn’t last long very long, did he (as police chief) in San Francisco,” Sheriff Joe said.
He’s still here. He’s the district attorney now.
“So what? What’s the district attorney? A prosecutor. That’s not a promotion. You’re trying to telling me that a prosecutor is more important than the top law enforcement officer. What’s a prosecutor?” Sheriff Joe said. “He’s always bad-mouthing me.”
A Gascon spokesperson declined to respond
Gascon has cited the Republican party’s Arpaio-style anti-immigrant fever as the primary reason he left the party–and one of the reasons he left his post as chief in Mesa, Arizona.
Gascon turns over SFPD investigation to FBI
San Francisco District Attorney
District Attorney and former police chief George Gascón's has turned over the SFPD search investigation to the FBI
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón has turned over the investigation of a mushrooming SFPD misconduct scandal to the Federal Bureau of Investigation today. Along with SFPD’s Internal Affairs Division and the DA’s office, the FBI has been conducting an independent probe into allegations that eight plainclothes officers from SFPD’s Southern District carried out warrantless searches and planted evidence on suspects at two residential hotels in the South of Market area.
Several incidents caught on video have been revealed by San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi over the past few weeks. At last count, the DA’s office has dropped 57 pending criminal cases that involved the eight named officers. Thousands of cases handled by the Southern plainclothes unit could be at risk.
Gascón claims his decision is due to a lack of forensic resources in the District Attorney’s office, not because of a conflict of interest. Many of the cases made by the Southern District plainclothes officers took place during the district attorney’s term as police chief. The statement he issued earlier today is after the jump.
Who’s fit to investigate the SFPD civil rights scandal?
SF Public Defender
San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi
The San Francisco Police Department is facing its biggest scandal in years after Public Defender Jeff Adachi released videos last week that allegedly show plainclothes narcotics officers repeatedly busting into a SoMa residential hotel without a warrant. The recordings were captured by security cameras mounted inside the Henry Hotel at 106 Sixth Street.
Seemingly every day, a new video pops up. On Monday, Adachi released videos of a December 2 narcotics arrest. The Public Defender claims the 29-year-old man inside the targeted room was set up by officers and then charged with possession of cocaine. Charges were later dropped in this and thirteen additional cases following the release of the videos. Additionally, thousands of cases involving eight officers from the Southern District’s plainclothes squad may be called into question because of the footage and what it purportedly depicts.