L.A. DA Gascón Has 10,000-Case Backlog as ‘No Cash Bail’ Returns

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón reportedly has a 10,000-case backlog, causing further frustration among prosecutors as a local judge reinstated a “no cash bail” policy for non-violent offenses, according to Breitbart News.

The reports about the criminal case backlog come from whistleblowers, who spoke to the New York Post:

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón is an “authoritarian” and “toxic” manager whose ultra-woke approach has led scores of prosecutors to quit and 10,000 cases to pile up, sources tell The Post.

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One former LA prosecutor said Gascón’s policies have eroded trust with the public the office serves, through generous plea deals allowing criminals to get out of jail or prison without serving hard time or declining to prosecute crimes at all.

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“Gascón is so focused on justice for black and brown defendants, but the victims and their families are also black and brown. Where is the justice for them? We are making them victims of the criminal justice system yet again.”

Meanwhile, a “no cash bail” policy was reinstated in the county, effective Wednesday, local Fox affiliate KTTV-11 reports:

Starting Wednesday, zero-bail policy is coming to Los Angeles County. This comes as a Superior Court judge says keeping people locked up because they can’t afford bail is a serious constitutional violation.

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Los Angeles County Deputy DA John McKinney explained that [the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department] will not be detaining suspects over crimes like theft, shoplifting, drug use, vandalism, batteries and a list of other nonviolent crimes due to the no-bail policy. It also means those who get arrested over the aforementioned allegations would be released immediately without having to pay bail before their arraignment.

Civil rights attorney Salil Dudani applauded Judge Riff’s ruling. He said the current cash bail sy[s]tem is unfair.

Upon taking office in 2020, Gascón announced that he would bar prosecutors from asking for cash bail for most crimes. Prosecutors sued him to oppose his instructions to ignore state sentencing guidelines — and won.