Progressive Los Angeles DA George Gascon has been sued more than dozen times by prosecutors in his own office. So far only one of those cases has gone to trial and Gascon lost. He was ordered to pay $1.5 million to the victim for retaliation after she opposed some his policies.

Unfortunately, none of the other cases will be going to trial before the next election but there is a hearing coming up in one of the cases. Prosecutor John Lewin, best known for handling the trial of Robert Durst, is trying to force Gascon to testify under oath in a deposition.

John Lewin, who prosecuted real estate heir-turned-killer Robert Durst, says he was demoted from a prestigious position handling cold case trials to a "calendar deputy" after he questioned the legality of some of his boss's policies.

Now a motion to compel comes after Lewin's lawyers say Gascon refused to show up for previously scheduled depositions...

If the order is granted, it could be the first time Gascon is deposed under oath in one of more than a dozen lawsuits subordinates have filed against him.

Gascon was supposed to give a deposition in the previous trial but wound up testifying from the stand instead where he claimed Shawn Randolph's transfer to a dead end job was a part of a "package deal" suggested to him by others. But as mentioned, he lost that trial so clearly the jury didn't buy his story.

Yesterday the LA Times published an update on the 14 remaining lawsuits filed against Gascon.

Gascón has been named in more than a dozen other civil suits, nearly all of which were filed by his own employees. In total, 20 prosecutors have accused Gascón of workplace retaliation, alleging he pushed them out of leadership positions or into undesirable assignments because they challenged his progressive policies or pointed out portions of his Day 1 directives they consider illegal...

A judge recently tossed some claims from prosecutor Jodi Link, but her retaliation allegations will still go before a jury later this year. The only suit to reach a jury so far ended with a March 2023 verdict awarding prosecutor Shawn Randolph $1.5 million. Fourteen suits remain, 13 of which come from inside the office, records show...

...several of the plaintiffs argue they tried to work with Gascón and only moved against him after he lashed out. They say the transfers are evidence of the disdain the district attorney has for his own employees, some of whom he referred to as “internal terrorists” during his 2020 campaign.

While all of this is happening, Gascon is also running for reelection. That doesn't seem to be going very well either. Last week, his opponent Nathan Hochman picked up a big endorsement from the progressive DA of Santa Clara County.

Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen, who has long been recognized as a leading proponent of criminal justice reform, today announced his endorsement of Nathan Hochman for District Attorney, praising Hochman’s experience and advocacy for alternatives to incarceration for nonviolent offenders...

“Fairness and safety are intertwined values. So, anyone who thinks criminal justice reform is more important than public safety does not understand the meaning of reform, because reform only works if it promotes both justice and a safer community,” Rosen said. “I am here today to endorse Nathan Hochman as an exceptionally qualified candidate to implement reform in the D.A.'s Office that will bring both fairness and accountability.”

Hochman has been pounding Gascon for rising crime in LA even as crime in the rest of the country has been headed down. He recently accused Gascon of having a backlog of 15,000 unfiled cases.

“Murders in LA are increasing while falling throughout the country, robberies are up significantly. Gun violence is a huge problem in LA and not charging gun enhancements, and not prosecuting juvenile gun murderers is the wrong policy,” said Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor running against Gascon in the November election, to The Center Square. 

“There is now reportedly a backlog of 15,000 unfiled cases that are gathering dust because prosecuting crime is not a priority to Gascon,” Hochman continued. “This means thousands of criminals who should be prosecuted are instead on the streets committing new crimes — and we are less safe as a result.”

But the worst news for Gascon continues to come from friends and families of crime victims. Recently a rape victim named Mary Klein spoke at a vigil in Venice, CA for another woman, Sarah Alden, who was raped and killed by the same man. 

Klein, a single mother and nurse who was knocked out and nearly beaten to death before allegedly being sexually assaulted, lost her front teeth and had her jaw wired shut after the attack. 

“[Sarah] was a good citizen and she was an intelligent, vibrant person who paid her taxes and did everything right. Why are we here again?” said Klein at the vigil. “Remember this could be your mother. So please vote accordingly.”

Los Angeles County desperately needs to rid itself of George Gascon and the various (alleged) crooks and woke defense attorneys who are running his office. Fortunately, there is a better option available in the form of Nathan Hochman. Here's an interview Hochman gave to radio station KFI this week.