The District Attorney at a Glance

Los Angeles County has the largest local prosecutor’s office in the country. The Los Angeles District Attorney’s office is in charge of prosecuting felony crimes in every area of Los Angeles County. This includes decisions on whether to prosecute police officers for unlawful violence and other misconduct. 

The DA’s office is also in charge of prosecuting misdemeanor crimes except when they occur in the following cities — Burbank, Hawthorne, Hermosa Beach, Inglewood, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, and Torrance. These cities have their own City attorneys to prosecute alleged misdemeanors. The DA is elected every four years, for up to three consecutive terms.

Who is LA’s District Attorney?

The current District Attorney for Los Angeles County is George Gascon, a career prosecutor. Running on a progressive reform platform, in the November 2020 election he defeated the incumbent, Jackie Lacey.

An excellent progressive but nonpartisan source for information on the DA’s office and how to push whoever wins to embrace transformative reforms is the DA Accountability Coalition. They’re active on social media and host informational events and lead advocacy efforts.

Check them out at https://www.dajusticecoalition.org/