Two area legislators last weekend publicly retracted prior endorsements of Jackie Lacey in her bid to be reelected as the Los Angeles County district attorney.
Assemblywoman Laura Friedman and Congressman Adam Schiff, whose districts include Burbank, each tweeted the rescission of their endorsements last Saturday, using nearly identical language and tagging each other in their statements. Each lawmaker said this was “a rare time in our nation’s history” that magnified their responsibility to enact sweeping changes to “end systemic racism and reform criminal justice.”
The two Democrats added they “no longer feel our endorsement of Jackie Lacey a year ago has the same meaning. We have decided to withdraw it.”
Lacey, who faces former San Francisco D.A. George Gascón in a runoff in November, has long faced criticism for not prosecuting more law enforcement officers over allegations of misconduct. That criticism re-entered the spotlight as the nation continues protests demanding criminal justice reform after the arrest and death of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May.
Both Friedman, a former Glendale city councilwoman, and Schiff, a former federal prosecutor, are also competing for reelection in November. Neither has yet directly endorsed Gascón.
— Zane Hill
