Judge Debra Archuleta and Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami won key endorsements from the Los Angeles Police Protective League as they campaign to replace embattled Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, the candidates announced this week.
The protective league, a union that represents Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers, voted over the weekend to support the candidates.
“George Gascón has got to go,” the union said, according to the California Globe. “He must be replaced by someone who will put victims above criminals and who will hold accountable those who break the law and endanger our community.”
The union urged voters to look at Judge Archuleta of the Los Angeles County Superior Court and Mr. Hatami, and “vote for the one who most aligns with your values,” according to the news report.
Mr. Hatami, a front-runner in the crowded field of 11 who are challenging Mr. Gascón in the race, said he was “honored and humbled” by the recommendation by the union.
“The women and men of LAPD dedicate their lives to the safety of our [Los Angeles] community every single day,” Mr. Hatami said in a social media post Feb. 19. “They need a [district attorney] who is willing to partner with them to make sure all of LA is safe. They know I will be that [district attorney].”
A veteran of the U.S. Army’s Military Police, Mr. Hatami earned a law degree from the University of Nebraska in 2002 and passed the bar in four states—California, New York, Nebraska, and New Jersey. He was hired as a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles in 2006, and is also a human rights advocate.
More than 16 police officer associations support Mr. Hatami’s campaign so far, he said. The Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association, California Correctional Supervisors Organization, the Los Angeles School Police Officers Association, and the Los Angeles School Police Management Association have also endorsed his campaign.
Judge Archuleta said the union’s support was “meaningful.”
“This recommendation by the proud men and women of the LAPD is deeply meaningful,” she said in a statement Feb. 18. “As district attorney, one of my key priorities is rebuilding the once-strong partnership between the DA’s Office and our law enforcement.”
The candidate said she looked forward to partnering with law enforcement, if elected, to reverse Mr. Gascón’s directives.
“We are not safer now than we were three years ago when George Gascón took office,” she said.
Judge Archuleta, a graduate of Western State College of Law in Fullerton, served as a Los Angeles deputy district attorney for 25 years before being elected as a judge in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2016. She is currently on unpaid leave from the court during her campaign to replace Mr. Gascón.
A recent poll by the University of Southern California Dornsife, the university’s college of letters, arts, and sciences, showed Mr. Gascón leading the crowded field for the March primary election.
In the survey taken between Jan. 21 and Jan. 29, 1,416 California voters were asked about their choices in several races, including the Los Angeles district attorney contest.
Likely voters in Los Angeles County gave Mr. Gascón 15 percent of the vote, followed closely by Mr. Hatami, Nathan Hockman, Jeff Chemerinsky, Craig Mitchell, and Maria Ramirez. Many voters remained undecided in the survey.
Only 24 percent of those surveyed approved of the job Mr. Gascón was doing, while more than half—51 percent—disapproved. The other 25 percent did not know, according to the study.
