Nearly half of voters in Long Beach support the recall of progressive Los Angeles County district attorney George Gascon, according to a new poll.
Just over 45 percent of voters are backing a referendum to oust Gascon, who has developed a reputation for law enforcement policies that many residents believe have contributed to the state’s crime surge, according to a Long Beach Center for Urban Politics and Policy poll released on Monday. Just 27.1 percent oppose the recall, per the survey.
When asked to provide one or two words to describe Gascon, respondents’ most common answers were “progressive” and “lax/lenient.” Long Beach is a Democratic stronghold, as well as racially and ethnically diverse, the survey noted.
The poll was conducted between May 19 to May 25, 2022 and included 1,037 registered voters.
Voters identified homelessness and crime — in that order — as the most important issues to them. Nearly one-third (32.4 percent) of Long Beach voters rated homelessness as a top issue, while 18.7 percent considered crime to be the same.
Close to two-thirds (64.7 percent) of voters approve of the Long Beach Police Department, while 35.3 percent disapprove.
A plurality (38.5 percent) of Long Beach voters do not want any change to the police budget, while 37.6 percent want to see it increased. Over 40 percent of Long Beach voters say crime has increased a lot and 32.1 percent said it has increased a little, according to the poll. “Perceptions that crime has increased were shared across nearly all demographic groups,” according to the Center.
Voters in progressive San Francisco overwhelmingly voted to oust Chesa Boudin, the city’s radical left-wing prosecutor who emphasized “restorative justice” over more traditional approaches to law enforcement on Tuesday.