In the crowded race for Los Angeles DA, who can break out of the pack to challenge George Gascón?
LOS ANGELES — The candidates vying to become L.A. County’s next district attorney could barely fit on stage together for a debate.
Scrunched into a dozen studio chairs that left political foes and ideological opposites inches apart at the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills, the largest field of contenders ever to run for the office spent close to an hour slogging through opening statements. The candidates — mostly longtime judges and prosecutors — challenging District Attorney George Gascón cried out for microphone time, which they mainly used to deliver messages as similar as their resumes.
Former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky said his “No. 1 priority is public safety.” Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami is running to “make sure your children are safe.” L.A. County Superior Court Judge Debra Archuleta asked if voters were “safer now than they were three years ago.”
Between the packed stage and a feisty crowd that occasionally interrupted the discussion, the Feb. 8 event left little room for substantive policy discussion.
In some ways, the forum reflected the state of the race: crowded, chaotic and confusing for voters. Recent polls indicate many Angelenos are fed up with Gascón and anxious about crime, yet two-thirds of voters remain undecided in the
