March 2020

Volume 5, Issue 3

Dear Friends: I want to take this opportunity to thank the dedicated deputy district attorneys who have worked diligently to pursue justice on behalf of 8-year-old Gabriel Fernandez and applaud the many social workers who do their jobs well every day to protect children. My office vigorously pursued the two people who directly caused Gabriel’s death and those who failed to intervene to protect him. Full Remarks

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Nearly 66,000 Cannabis Convictions Dismissed in Los Angeles County

District Attorney Jackie Lacey last month asked a court to dismiss nearly 66,000 cannabis convictions as part of a cutting-edge collaboration with Code for America. “The dismissal of tens of thousands of old cannabis-related convictions in Los Angeles County will bring much-needed relief to communities of color that disproportionately suffered the unjust consequences of our nation’s drug laws,” District Attorney Lacey said. “I am privileged to be part of a system dedicated to finding innovative solutions and implementing meaningful criminal justice reform that gives all people the support they need to build the life they deserve.” The dismissals were spurred by voter-approved Proposition 64, which made many past marijuana convictions eligible for removal. Under Proposition 64, individuals convicted for the cultivation of marijuana, possession for sale of marijuana and sales and/or transport of marijuana, all felonies, are eligible for resentencing. The law also includes dismissing possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor. Rather than just reduce the convictions, as required by law, District Attorney Lacey went one step further: She asked the court to dismiss all eligible cannabis-related convictions. In addition, District Attorney Lacey expanded the dismissal criteria in Los Angeles County to include people who are 50 years or older, haven’t had a felony conviction in the past 10 years or have successfully completed probation for cannabis convictions. Code for America created a custom algorithm for these parameters. This alleviated the need for District Attorney staff to go through state criminal records one by one to evaluate eligibility, saving time and significant resources. Office staff needed to analyze the results to ensure accuracy. Also, because of data privacy protections, protocols had to be created on what information could be shared. Click here to watch the news conference.

Fraud Alert

Significant Cases

If you receive a call from the Social Security Administration indicating that your Social Security number has been suspended or compromised, hang up! It’s a ploy. Click  here  to read the Fraud Alert and view the video.

A mother and son both face time behind bars for their roles in a high-speed police pursuit that ended in San Pedro. Learn how the mother allegedly tried to help her son escape police. A man was charged with murder and elder abuse after assaulting a 73-year-old patient in a Long Beach hospital. Find out what happened to the elderly victim. A motorist was accused of running over her friend during an argument with a motorcyclist last month in Hollywood. Read about the tragic events that led to her passenger’s death.

District Attorney Lacey Helps Secure Pardon for Civil Rights Leader District Attorney Jackie Lacey joined African American and LGBTQ lawmakers last month in securing the posthumous pardon of American civil rights pioneer Bayard Rustin. “Mr. Rustin was one of the most significant civil rights leaders of our times, whose great accomplishments, unfortunately, were restricted by a 1953 conviction in Los Angeles County for activities between consenting adults that should never have been criminalized in the first place,” District Attorney Lacey said. “I was pleased to join with the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus and the California Legislative Black Caucus in asking Governor Newsom to right this terrible injustice and allow Mr. Rustin to take his rightful place in the history of our nation.” Mr. Rustin was a confidant of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., serving as a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and helping to establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was honored posthumously by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2013 and pardoned by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Feb. 4. Click here to read District Attorney Lacey’s letter to the governor.

LADA Reaches Historic $18.8 Million Consumer Settlement

More than 170,000 consumers throughout California will receive at least $90 each in credit from Time Warner Cable LLC as part of a historic $18.8 million settlement reached last month by the District Attorney’s Office. It is the largest direct restitution order ever secured by the office in a consumer protection case. “This historic settlement serves as a warning to all companies in California that deceptive practices are bad for consumers and bad for business,” District Attorney Jackie Lacey said at a Feb. 20 news conference. “We as prosecutors demand that all service providers – large and small – live up to their claims and fairly market their products.” Under the settlement, $16.9 million in restitution will be returned to consumers through credits applied to their cable/internet bills from Spectrum, the parent company of Time Warner Cable. The lawsuit was filed by the District Attorneys of Los Angeles, San Diego and Riverside counties in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Time Warner Cable was accused of using misleading advertising practices to lure consumers to pay for high-speed internet services the company could not deliver, beginning in 2013. Some customers were given outdated modems that could not handle the purchased bandwidth. Others paid for higher internet speeds that Time Warner Cable’s infrastructure could not provide. Time Warner Cable also will offer all of its internet customers one of two free services: a free month of Showtime for cable TV subscribers or a free month of an entertainment streaming package for customers with only internet service. Time Warner Cable additionally agreed to pay $1.9 million to the three prosecuting agencies in the case to cover costs associated with the investigation and prosecution of this and future consumer protection cases.

Did You Know...? LADA’s long-standing Three Strikes Policy, enacted by District Attorney Steve Cooley just days after he took office in December 2000, was the model for voter-approved Proposition 36, the 2013 ballot measure that brought other California counties in line with Los Angeles. The 20-year-old policy barred deputy district attorneys from seeking a third strike for nonviolent or non-serious crimes.

Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office | (213) 974-3512 | [email protected] Not signed up for our newsletter? Click here to join our email list. STAY CONNECTED

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