Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, who is seeking re-election for a second term, says, “We’re in a much better place today than we were four years ago.”
Coincidentally, the day after he made these remarks, another serial burglary was reported in West L.A.
In an interview with ABC News on February 27, Gascón emphasized that his first year as DA was rough. However, he said, “We’re not there anymore, and a lot of what you see right now is still people thinking about what happened in 2021 as opposed to what is happening in 2024.”
However, the public’s view of Gascón is not favorable.
According to a recent USC survey, one in two voters (51%) have an unfavorable view of the job Gascón has done in office.
This public opinion reflects real-world concerns about public safety, including rising property crime in the county, a spate of burglaries and thefts, and the increasing presence of homeless encampments.
The Korea Daily looked at crime statistics for the month of January (Jan. 1-31) from the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.
In the Altadena Station’s unincorporated regions, the county recorded 17 violent crimes, nearly twice the figure from the same month the previous year, which was 9. The month saw a total of 54 crimes, encompassing offenses such as criminal homicides, rapes, larceny theft, grand theft auto, and various other crimes, including property crimes. This is also up more than 10% from the same month a year ago (49).
Meanwhile, five businesses were robbed in West L.A. on February 27. It took two thieves wearing black masks less than two hours to go through the five businesses, smashing windows and stealing cash.
According to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), between 1:45 a.m. and 3 a.m. on February 27, five retail businesses, including Starbucks and L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, were burglarized in the West L.A. area. L&L Hawaiian Barbecue has reportedly been burglarized for the second time this month.
The primary election will be held on March 5, and if no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the top two candidates will have a runoff election.
BY YEOL JANG, JUNHAN PARK [jang.yeol@koreadaily.com]
