Liberal Beverly Hills votes to RECALL DA George Gascón for eliminating bail and dropping charges for many crimes after wealthy enclave is rocked by robberies, including home invasion where Jacqueline Avant was shot dead
The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón over his progressive policies where he has elimated bail and dropped charges for many crimes.
The city council's 5-0 vote in favor of a resolution demanding Gascón's recall is not legally binding, but expresses the wealthy enclave's fury over his policies as crime soars in the area.
'Over the last 12 months, Los Angeles County has seen a dramatic increase in widespread crime including follow-home robberies, smash-and-grab incidents and the tragic death of beloved Beverly Hills philanthropist Jacqueline Avant,' the city council said in a statement.
The council also cited a number of policy directives issued by Gascón, including the elimination of bail for any misdemeanor or 'non-serious' felony, and a policy of refusing to charge numerous misdemeanors.
Last month, Beverly Hills residents were stunned by the home invasion murder of Jacqueline Avant, who was gunned down in front of her husband, famed music producer Clarence Avant.
Gascón responded by lamenting that the career criminal charged in the murder hadn't been properly rehabilitated.
Aariel Maynor, 29, was on parole when he was arrested earlier this month and charged with the shocking home-invasion murder in Avant's Beverly Hills mansion.
Maynor served two prison terms of five years and four years on separate robbery convictions, in addition to convictions on domestic violence and grand theft charges. He has pleaded not guilty to Avant's murder.
The city council of overwhelmingly Democratic-voting Beverly Hills has issued a unanimous vote calling for the recall of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón
The murder of Clarence Avant's 81-year-old philanthropist wife, Jacqueline inside her $7 million Beverly Hills home on December 1 follows a disturbing rise in crime
The council cited the murder of Jaqueline Avant in her home last month (above) in a statement expressing fury with Gascon's policies
Tuesday's vote was held after Beverly Hills Mayor Bob Wunderlich and Vice Mayor Lili Bosse requested that the item be brought forward for consideration.
Although Beverly Hills is a bastion for Democrats, with 71 percent of voters choosing Joe Biden in the last presidential election, residents are unhappy with what they see as the results of Gascón's policies.
The district attorney's office did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com on Wednesday afternoon.
Gascón is a progressive prosecutor who has been vocal about his belief that the criminal justice system needs to focus more on intervention and rehabilitation, blasting 'tough on crime' policies as racist and a failure.
Last month, Gascón made waves by expanding a program to drop criminal proceedings against juveniles charged with a range of felonies.
Under the expansion, youth would be eligible for 'diversion' after being charged with burglary, assault, vehicle theft, robbery, grand theft person, sexual battery, and arson, according to a leaked memo.
LA crime is on the upswing, according to police statistics. Homicides are up by 46 percent, car thefts are up 53 percent and shootings have risen by a staggering 51 percent in Los Angeles compared with the same time frame through November 27 of 2019
A number of felonies would remain ineligible for diversion, including homicide, forcible rape, gun crimes, and crimes resulting in serious injuries.
Gascon has lamented that accused killer Aariel Maynor (above) was not properly rehabilitated earlier in his criminal career
Meanwhile, Los Angeles, like many cities across the country, has witnessed an alarming rise in violent crime over the past two years.
Homicides in the City of Angeles rose 52 percent last year from 2019, and shooting incidents were up 59 percent, according to LAPD data.
The city has also suffered a shocking wave of follow-home robberies and organized smash-and-grab attacks on retailers.
On Wednesday, Gascon defended Avant's alleged killer's parole, saying that he 'never received any meaningful intervention'.
'One that would have prevented the terrible tragedy from occurring.'
'I'm angry at a system that allows a disturbed young man with a proven track record of violent behavior to be cycled in and out of prison with little or no meaning intervention to be able to gain access to an AR-15 military-style weapon and go out and kill Jacqueline Avant,' he said.
As crime in Los Angeles spirals out of control, even some of the city's wealthiest residents have flocked to Beverly Hills' only gun store to buy firearms to protect themselves and their belongings.
Beverly Hills Guns first opened by appointment only in July 2020, and has seen upscale residents from Santa Monica to the Hollywood Hills increasingly in a panic following some high-profile smash and grabs and violent home invasions in recent weeks, Los Angeles Magazine reports.
Many are self-proclaimed progressives who've never even held a gun before, but who've been so spooked by soaring crime in the famously wealthy enclave that they've decided to arm themselves.
Some have also discussed more elaborate security measures, such as armored cars, safe rooms and bulletproof glass inside their homes, after some celebrities, including a star of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and a BET host were stalked by robbers into their homes.
'Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad,' said Beverly Hills Guns owner Russell Stuart. 'We're used to this being like Mayberry.' He was referring to the peaceful fictional town from The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry RFD.
But over the past year, Hollywood's total violent crime rate increased 25 percent with its homicide rate doubling, robberies up 41.6 percent and shootings up 54.2 percent over last year, Los Angeles Police Department shows.
That is higher than the crime rate in the rest of the city, which saw homicides climb 12 percent over last year, robberies up 5.3 percent and shootings up 14.8 percent.
'Beverly Hills is definitely a target,' said David Perez, a security expert who previously worked security in the Clinton White House and at the Pentagon.
'We're telling clients "Hey don't go out with flashy jewelry. Try to keep a low profile. Instead of driving the Bentley maybe just take the SUV."'
The city's crime spike dates back to widespread looting following Black Lives Matter protests on Rodeo Drive, that left some high-end stores with broken windows, according to the LA Magazine.
Those smash-and-grab lootings continued again this year, with the LAPD arresting 14 suspects alleged to have been involved in 11 recent smash-and-grab robberies at stores last month, where nearly $340,000 worth of merchandise was stolen in strikes on an LA Nordstrom, a Lululemon in Studio City, a Fairfax district store, and a CVS pharmacy in South LA last month.
A $500,000 Richard Mille watch was also stolen at gunpoint from a diner at the Il Pastaio restaurant last March, and on December 1 of this year, Jacqueline Avant was shot and killed in her Trousdale Estate home during a home invasion.
More recently, a man who was simply taking out his garbage was attacked on Thursday night, when multiple suspects broke into his home in Studio City and ransacked the place at around 7.30pm on Thursday.
LA police said four or five suspects confronted the man on Alta View Drive and assaulted him, leading him back into his house at gunpoint.
There, police say, they zip-tied the man's disabled son and his two caregivers as they ransacked the home before fleeing through the back door.
The victim was taken to a hospital for non life threatening injuries, with cops saying they didn't believe the terrifying incident was the latest so-called 'follow home' robbery.
It remained unclear as of Friday what was stolen, as the suspects remained on the loose. They are described as four males who fled in Hyundai vehicles.
'We've lived here for 35 years and never had any kind of police activity like this,' neighbor Michael Thatcher told FOX News.
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