The Los Angeles City Attorney is a citywide elected official with a range of broad powers that touch on every important issue facing LA. The City Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of misdemeanors in LA -- minor offenses like public intoxication, drug possession, or disorderly conduct -- and can further criminal justice reform by prioritizing diversion and provision of services over criminal prosecution. The City Attorney can wield the powers of affirmative litigation to sue any business engaging in unlawful, unfair, or deceptive conduct: employers who steal wages, landlords pushing tenants out, and companies dumping chemicals in our community. The City Attorney also advises council and city departments and can take a strong stance to prevent unlawful and unconstitutional conduct from departments like LAPD.
Out of seven candidates on the ballot in June, we see only one with clear progressive vision across all the issues we care about — Faisal Gill. Born in Pakistan, Faisal immigrated with his family to the U.S. as a child and witnessed his parents struggle with financial and housing insecurity. After putting himself through college and law school, Faisal joined the Navy as a JAG Corp officer and then worked in the federal government. Faisal was the subject of surveillance by the NSA during the Bush Administration because he was a Muslim man serving at a high level of government. His experiences with discrimination in the Republican Party changed his perspective and he became a Democrat and a civil rights lawyer. As a civil rights attorney, Gill represents clients whose rights have been grossly violated by LAPD misconduct. He is the only candidate who has taken on LAPD and won.
Gill is running with an unabashedly progressive vision for City Attorney. He is the only candidate who has pledged not to prosecute individuals experiencing homelessness for charges brought under LA Municipal Code 41.18, criminalizing sitting, sleeping, or possessing personal property in public. He has committed to ending cash bail and pretrial detention. He would increase transparency and accountability as counsel to LAPD by making body cam footage available to the public and bringing in greater civilian oversight. And, he would use the Office's broad powers of affirmative litigation to pursue companies that violate environmental laws, fight wage theft, and protect tenants.
None of Gill's opponents are as broadly and deeply committed to this justice-centered vision for the City Attorney's Office. All other six candidates have expressed varying levels of continued support for cash bail, pretrial detention, and prosecutions of 41.18 under certain circumstances. Kevin James, former President of the Board of Public Works, has said he won't discourage LAPD from arresting or citing people for misdemeanors because he wants better data on arrest numbers (LAPD arrests Black people at 4.5 times the rate of white people). Marina Torres, a life-long prosecutor, appears to be running as the tough-on-crime candidate, tweeting that she would have prosecuted Will Smith for misdemeanor assault charges. Teddy Kapur, Democratic Party Treasurer, is a corporate restructuring lawyer who says he would fight wage theft but has not provided a platform for criminal justice reform. Sherri Onica Valle Cole and Richard Kim both have experience working in the City Attorney's office, but have not put forth a vision for the office moving forward. Hydee Feldstein Soto, who lacks criminal law, civil litigation, or policy experience, has offered many policy ideas that either aren't within the scope of the City Attorney's powers or would keep LA's most powerful corporate bad actors away from accountability in a court of law.
Gill is the only person running who would bring a broad and deep progressive vision to this powerful role, and for that reason, LA Forward Action enthusiastically recommends voting for Gill.
