Hollywood heavyweights with a history of Democratic support have thrown their weight behind a campaign to Recall the District Attorney of Los Angeles, with Joe Biden’s nominee to be ambassador to Norway and George Clooney’s producing partner among those demanding George Gascon step down.
Gascon, a 67-year-old former assistant chief of Los Angeles Police Department, took over as district attorney in the heavily-Democrat city in December 2020 and immediately embarked on a progressive justice reform agenda – eliminating the use of sentencing enhancements for gang membership, certain uses of guns, and for prior convictions.
As LA battles rising crime, critics are blaming Gascon’s ‘soft’ policies, and an effort to recall him is underway – which on Friday saw a former LAPD chief who previously endorsed him rescind his support.
Last week Los Angeles Magazine reported that a surprising number of Hollywood grandees, usually more affiliated with Democrat causes than with efforts to oust a Democrat, had donated to the recall effort.
They include Grant Heslov, who works frequently with Clooney – including on 2011 political drama The Ides of March, Iranian thriller Argo, and CIA comedy The Men Who Stare At Goats.
George Gascon was elected district attorney of Los Angeles in December 2020, but is now facing a campaign to have him recalled – with Democrat donors also contributing funds
Grant Heslov is seen with George Clooney in May 2019. The pair collaborate on many film projects
Jonathan Sheinberg, a renown film producer, has also backed efforts to get rid of Gascon
Mike Medavoy, a ‘Democrat power broker’ is helping efforts to get rid of Gascon
Marc Nathanson, a media billionaire and prominent LA real estate investor who has been nominated by Joe Biden as ambassador to Norway, is also backing attempts to get rid of the Democrat DA
Jonathan Sheinberg, a former 20th Century Fox executive, was among the donors, as was Mike Medavoy, co-founder of Orion Pictures, which produced such classics as Platoon, Terminator, RoboCop and The Silence of the Lambs.
Variety magazine in 2011 described Medavoy as a ‘Democrat power broker’.
The list also includes Marc Nathanson, a media billionaire and prominent LA real estate investor, who in November was nominated by President Joe Biden to be ambassador to Norway.
Another high-profile Democrat to fund the removal of Gascon is Jordan Kaplan, a LA real estate titan and ‘mega bundler’ for Hillary Clinton.
The Hollywood Democrats made their donations in early 2022, LA Magazine reported, which meant they have not yet shown on county records.
The campaign to recall Cuban-born Gascon, who was San Francisco’s district attorney from 2011-19, has raised $1.8 million in the final three months of 2021.
Gascon has angered many Angelenos with his policies, which critics say are soft on crime
Desiree Andrade, left, whose son Julien Andrade was murdered in 2018 is joined by other crime victims as the signature gathering effort to recall Gascon is launched in May 2021
Much of that, the magazine said, came from ‘reliably right-wing mega donors’ such as Beverly Hills real-estate baron Geoffrey Palmer and Palos Verdes Estates investor Gerald Marcil.
But the inclusion of high-profile Democrats will alarm Gascon’s team.
On Friday, another blow was dealt when former LAPD chief Charlie Beck rescinded his support for Gascon.
Beck, who spent four decades with the LAPD, retired in 2019 after leading the agency for nearly nine years.
He acknowledged knowing Gascon, a former LAPD officer, for 30 years and supporting his bid to become the county’s top prosecutor in 2020, but said he could no longer back him.
‘I based my support for the election of District Attorney George Gascon on the hope he would advance public safety in Los Angeles and because of our close personal relationship of over 30 years,’ Beck said.
‘After observing the negative effects of his policies and practices on public safety, I am compelled to rescind that endorsement.’
A makeshift shrine is set up in Inglewood on January 24 after a shooting at a birthday party left four dead
LAPD investigators are seen at work on January 23 in Inglewood
Elise Moore, a spokesperson for Gascon’s campaign, told Fox News that it was ‘disappointing that Chief Beck has changed his position but we are respectful of his opinion and the many years of service that he has provided to the people of Los Angeles.’
Los Angeles has seen a 54 percent increase in murders since 2019, a rise in the number of street shootings since 2020, and an increase in the number of armed holdups.
The city has also been shocked by the broad daylight murder of Brianna Kupfer on January 13 by a mentally ill man who stabbed her at random while she worked in an upscale furniture store.
Desiree Andrade, whose son Julian was beaten to death and thrown into a canyon in 2018, co-founded the campaign to recall Gascon and said she was encouraged by the growing support for the campaign.
‘People are seeing firsthand now, how public safety has changed since Gascon,’ said Andrade.
‘I think that people now who were on his side are kind of putting their foot in their mouth at this point because crime has spiked in such a way that nobody can turn their heads anymore, and be blind to the fact that we’re all in harms way and he’s playing Russian roulette with our lives.’
To qualify for the November 2022 ballot the recall’s backers must collect 566,857 signatures, to reflect 10% of total registered voters in LA County.
Petitions can be downloaded online by any activist who wants to back the cause, and it is unclear how many signatures have been received to date.
The deadline to submit the required signatures is July 6.
