Five of the 12 people running for Los Angeles District Attorney polled by the Los Angeles Daily News said they would not seek the death penalty in murder cases, while five have pledged they will. Two who have filed either weren’t polled or didn’t respond.
Four of the five who said they wouldn’t seek death, including incumbent George Gascón, who is a longtime death penalty opponent and has not sought it since his election in 2020, cited moral (the risk of executing the innocent) and practical (the astronomical costs and its lack of deterrence) reasons for their opposition. (The fifth, LA County Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell, simply answered “no” to the question.)
Those in support cited the fact that because it is the law, they will uphold it.
The candidates who will not pursue a death sentence include:
- George Gascón (LA District Attorney)
- Craig Mitchell (Superior Court Judge)
- Eric SIddall (prosecutor)
- Jeff Chemerinsky (assistant U.S. attorney)
- Dan Kapelovitz (criminal defense attorney)
Those who have pledged to seek death include:
- Debra Archuleta (Superior Court Judge)
- Nathan Hochman (former U.S. assistant attorney general)
- Maria Ramirez (head deputy district attorney)
- John McKinney (supervising district attorney)
- Jonathan Hatami (prosecutor)
The primary is March 5. If none of the candidates receives a majority of the votes, there will be a runoff in the general election in November.