LA sheriff says George Gascon recall election on pace to happen: 'The country has had enough'
Recall petition has 400,000 signatures amid rising crime rates in the county
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Thursday on "Fox & Friends" a recall election for liberal District Attorney George Gascon is on pace to happen.
"It looks like it's gonna happen. I think that's a historical moment for this experiment with ultra-progressive DAs who don't do their job. I think the country has had enough with it. They just want to see basic law and order reinstituted everywhere," Villanueva told host Brian Kilmeade.
LOS ANGELES GASCON RECALL ORGANIZERS OPTIMISTIC AS MORE SIGNATURES KEEP COMING IN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}More than 400,000 voters have signed a Los Angeles County petition calling for Gascon’s recall. The petition is required to have 566,857 by July 6 in order to get the recall question on the November ballot for Los Angeles voters.
Under Gascon’s soft-on-crime policies, the county has seen a drastic increase in crime including follow-home robberies, smash-and-grab robberies, homelessness and homicide.
Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is facing a second recall attempt as criticism over his progressive policies intensifies. Some of his prosecutors have criticized his progressive policies as being too lenient and not advocating for victims of crime. (AP)
Since Gascon took office in 2020, Los Angeles has seen a 34% increase in homicide, 15.5% increase in violent crimes, 6.7% increase in property crimes and 67% increase in shooting victims. Arrests have decreased by nearly 25% since 2020, according to LAPD statistics.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Villanueva argued the county has had enough of the "experiment" with soft-on-crime politicians and the "bill of goods" sold by politicians on defunding the police.
"People want a sense of normalcy," Villanueva said. "We can do a lot of reforms … but it shouldn’t be an either-or proposition. We can do both."
LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21, 2021: Members of the LAPD make their way along Temple St. in downtown Los Angeles. (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
‘TUCKER CARLSON ORIGINALS’ SHOWS RESULTS OF GASCON'S LIBERAL CRIME POLICIES
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Following George Floyd's death in 2020, calls for defunding police amplified among left-leaning circles and progressive leaders.
Across many soft-on-crime cities like Chicago and New York, crime rates have skyrocketed leading to a reversal in sentiment on crime and law enforcement.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Villanueva praised voters for working to "correct" the "mistake" of electing "ultra-progressive" George Gascon as the county’s top prosecutor.
"Fool me once, shame on them, fool me twice, shame on me," he concluded.
Fox News' Louis Casiano contributed to this report.