Can Trump spark a seismic shift in crime-ridden blue state’s sanctuary insanity?



President Donald Trump's decisive victory in November appears to have caused a seismic shift in California's Democratic leaders' sanctuary rhetoric, clearing a path for conservative local politicians to ramp up their fight against the illegal immigration crisis.

As Americans rally behind Trump's immigration crackdown, Californians are becoming increasingly outraged by the state's existing crime surge, further worsened by sanctuary laws.

Trump and others continue to battle against those targeting Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but Democrats like Gov. Gavin Newsom — despite his recent attempts to reinvent himself as a moderate — keep thwarting those attempts with pro-sanctuary policies.

First-of-its-kind task force

Several local leaders have seized the opportunity to right the course and address the state's illegal immigration chaos.

United States Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli announced Monday the formation of a new task force dedicated to eradicating the state's destructive sanctuary laws.

'The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over.'

Operation Guardian Angel, a program launched May 10 alongside federal partners, aims to "neutralize California's sanctuary state policy and protect Americans from criminal illegal aliens incarcerated in county jails by issuing federal arrest warrants for them," according to a Department of Justice press release.

The task force comprises assets from multiple federal agencies, including ICE, Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Border Patrol, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.

RELATED: Sheriff vows to break California's sanctuary law by alerting ICE about violent illegal aliens

California Governor Gavin Newsom. Photo by ARIANA DREHSLER/AFP via Getty Images

The press release noted that Essayli's district is home to approximately 1.5 million illegal aliens, including gang members and violent felons.

As of May 15, the program has already resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals by filing complaints and arrest warrants, allowing federal authorities to seize custody of defendants in state jails. The task force scans criminal databases every day to identify illegal aliens currently detained. An arrest warrant is then issued for those who can be transferred to DOJ custody for illegal re-entry before they are released from local jails.

Essayli slammed California's sanctuary laws for releasing "even the worst criminal aliens" back onto the street.

"These laws effectively render federal immigration detainers meaningless," he stated. "The days of giving criminal illegal aliens a free pass are over. While California may be presently disregarding detainers, it cannot ignore federal arrest warrants."

Essayli said in a statement to Fox News that the state's sanctuary laws "made it almost impossible for ICE to do their job, issue detainers, and get criminal illegal immigrants out of jails."

He declared, "We're going to flood the system with warrants for criminal illegal immigration that are in county jails, they can ignore a detainer, but they cannot ignore a criminal arrest warrant."

Essayli referred to California as the "testing ground" for the groundbreaking new program that could be implemented in other sanctuary jurisdictions.

He noted that he does not expect resistance from local authorities.

"They have no choice, they will comply. And if they don't comply, if they interfere in our ability to arrest a federal felon, they can expect to face consequences for that," Essayli added to Fox.

Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies for the Center for Immigration Studies, told Blaze News that federal judges' criminal arrest warrants "cannot be ignored" and "are exempt from the sanctuary policies."

While Vaughan stated that she has not seen any indication that local politicians are shifting their stance on sanctuary policies, she highlighted efforts to arrest illegal aliens who were previously deported.

"ICE has taken steps to make it easier for California law enforcement agencies, most of whom have always supported cooperation with ICE, to transfer custody of certain illegal aliens who have been arrested that ICE is seeking to remove," she explained. "I'm sure most of the sheriffs and police chiefs will be fine with this arrangement."

When reached for comment, Essayli's office referred Blaze News to the previous statement in the press release and those provided to Fox News.

Local law enforcement digs in

Some of California's local law enforcement leaders have also led the charge against the sanctuary policies.

San Diego County Sheriff Kelly Martinez came under fire late last year when she stated that her office would not comply with the San Diego County Board's decision to pass its own sanctuary measure, in addition to the state's existing policies.

Martinez's office previously told Blaze News that it would not be "expanding or changing anything we have been doing."

"We will continue to follow state law and maintain the way we have been operating for several years. The Board Action sought to impose restrictions well beyond those already provided for in-state law regarding how local law enforcement can work with immigration officials," the sheriff's office said.

However, Martinez's office stopped short of rejecting all sanctuary policies, instead stating that the "current state law strikes the right balance between limiting local law enforcement's cooperation with immigration authorities, ensuring public safety, and building community trust."

While Martinez's office has stood behind California's sanctuary laws, Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a 2026 gubernatorial candidate, has come out in full force against the state, becoming the first and only sheriff to join Huntington Beach's lawsuit against California, Newsom, and Attorney General Robert Bonta.

In January, the city council members declared Huntington Beach a "non-sanctuary city," then later filed a lawsuit claiming the state's laws "drastically limit local law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration enforcement authorities, shield illegal aliens, and threaten public safety."

Bianco told the Desert Sun, "Local law enforcement has not and does not enforce immigration law."

He argued that California's sanctuary policy "was only designed to protect criminals in jail from being deported."

RELATED: The Trump effect? Newsom pledges to veto Dem bill that would expand protections for illegal aliens

Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County. Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

Vaughan told Blaze News that California sheriffs resisting local politicians' efforts to impose stricter sanctuary laws "should feel a bit safer doing this knowing that the Trump administration will support them."

'This is a battle that needs to be fought, both for supremacy of the federal government on immigration enforcement and for the sake of public safety.'

In response to the lawsuit, Bonta's office previously told Fox News Digital, "The Attorney General is committed to protecting and ensuring the rights of California's immigrant communities and upholding vital laws like SB 54, which ensure that state and local resources go toward fighting crime in California communities, not toward federal immigration enforcement."

"Our office successfully fought back against a challenge to SB 54 by the first Trump administration, and we are prepared to vigorously defend SB 54 again," the statement added.

Bianco's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

Recalls and electoral shifts

California locals' frustration with Democratic policies appeared to reach a tipping point late last year when several recall efforts successfully booted radical leftists.

In Alameda County, an area so devastated by crime that numerous businesses fled, voters removed two George Soros-backed politicians: then-Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao (D) and then-Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price (D).

A similar situation played out in Los Angeles County.

After weathering failed recall efforts, former Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón suffered a blistering loss in his November re-election bid.

The progressive DA was replaced by Nathan Hochman, an Independent candidate who ran on the promise to restore safety and prioritize "protecting victims' interests."

Hochman, a former Republican, shared a post on social media on May 18 stating that "the fun is over" for illegal alien criminals.

"I am standing at the border between LA County and San Bernardino County where criminals used to enjoy crossing in the LA direction, thinking that little to no consequences would occur if they stole, robbed, and engaged in criminal conduct," he wrote.

"Times have changed!" Hochman declared. "A new DA was elected. And criminals in LA County will now be prosecuted and held fully accountable for their illegal actions."

Hochman's office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

What's next?

While it remains uncertain whether the quieted pro-sanctuary rhetoric during Trump's second term, coupled with mounting frustrations over surging crime, will ultimately eradicate sanctuary policies, it offers California's dissenting local leaders with a rare opportunity they will either seize or risk losing through inaction.

"The real test will be when the Trump administration begins imposing penalties on California, such as denying certain funding, and possibly takes legal action to challenge some of the more egregious local policies," Vaughan stated.

"This is a battle that needs to be fought, both for supremacy of the federal government on immigration enforcement and for the sake of public safety," she remarked.

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Philly DA’s 2-tier justice system demands federal scrutiny



Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner calls himself a progressive reformer, but his policies — especially those that give illegal aliens special treatment in criminal cases — endanger public safety and weaken the rule of law.

Because of that threat, the Immigration Reform Law Institute has asked Attorney General Pam Bondi and the Justice Department to investigate Krasner and these reckless practices. By pushing for “immigration-neutral” outcomes instead of equal justice, Krasner not only corrupts the legal process but also puts Philadelphia residents in harm’s way.

By shielding illegal aliens from the legal consequences of serious offenses, Krasner’s policies risk making an already dangerous situation even worse.

Krasner’s policies reflect a larger movement bankrolled by billionaire George Soros, who has poured millions into electing progressive prosecutors across the country. In 2017, Soros funneled nearly $1.7 million through the Philadelphia Justice and Public Safety PAC to help Krasner win the Democratic primary.

This effort fits into Soros’ broader goal of installing district attorneys who push ideological agendas at the expense of public safety. Cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Francisco followed the same pattern, where Soros-backed prosecutors — such as the now-departed George Gascón, Kimberly Foxx, and Chesa Boudin — adopted similar lenient policies toward illegal aliens.

These prosecutors frequently reduce charges or seek lighter sentences to shield noncitizen defendants from deportation, creating a two-tiered justice system that favors illegal immigrants over American citizens.

Krasner’s strategy hinges on the Office of Immigration Counsel, created in 2018 and staffed at taxpayer expense by Stephanie Costa. Her job: help prosecutors reduce “immigration consequences” for noncitizen defendants, even in serious criminal cases.

Records obtained by IRLI show that in 2023, former immigration counsel Caleb Arnold advised on cases involving migrants charged with rape, robbery, strangulation, aggravated assault, and vehicular homicide.

Krasner claimed in 2018 that the office would assist only with “low-level offenders who pose no threat to public safety.” The facts tell a different story. Arnold frequently helped broker plea deals or reduce charges — deliberately avoiding convictions that trigger mandatory deportation. These interventions bypass federal immigration law and keep dangerous individuals in the community, raising the risk of repeat offenses.

RELATED: California prioritizing illegal immigrants over DUI victims — where was their ‘due process’?

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Krasner’s leniency carries obvious risks. When prosecutors reduce charges for illegal aliens to help them avoid deportation, the justice system fails to hold offenders fully accountable — potentially encouraging more crime. A noncitizen charged with rape, for example, might receive a downgraded charge, dodge immigration enforcement, and remain in Philadelphia with the opportunity to reoffend.

This policy puts criminal defendants’ interests above public safety, especially in a city already struggling with violent crime. From 2019 to 2021, robberies and aggravated assaults on Philadelphia’s SEPTA transit system surged by more than 80%. Critics point to Krasner’s soft-on-crime agenda as a driving force behind that surge.

By shielding illegal aliens from the legal consequences of serious offenses, Krasner’s policies risk making an already dangerous situation even worse.

Krasner’s use of immigration status in sentencing decisions also raises questions about fairness and discrimination. The Justice Department recently launched an investigation into Hennepin County, Minnesota, for factoring race into prosecution decisions — signaling a broader crackdown on unequal enforcement. Krasner deserves the same level of scrutiny.

By giving noncitizens special treatment, Krasner discriminates against U.S. citizens. His approach turns justice into a two-tiered system, where punishment hinges not on the crime but on the defendant’s nationality. That violates the foundational principle that justice should be blind.

Krasner’s defenders may claim his policies protect vulnerable communities, but shielding violent offenders from deportation doesn’t protect anyone. It weakens trust in the justice system, demoralizes law enforcement, and endangers the very communities Krasner claims to serve. Victims — regardless of immigration status — deserve a system that values accountability over ideology.

Backed by Soros money and executed through a taxpayer-funded immigration counsel’s office, Krasner’s policies represent a dangerous departure from the prosecutor’s core mission: enforce the law and protect the public. Federal authorities must step in to restore equal justice and uphold the principle that no one — citizen or not — stands above the law.

Kamala Harris's Far-Left Protégée To Deliver Progressive Wing's State of the Union Response as Former Vice President Reportedly Eyes Governor's Mansion

Kamala Harris's protégée, far-left Rep. Lateefah Simon (D., Calif.), will deliver the progressive response to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address on behalf of the Working Families Party next week. Simon, a defund the police advocate and so-called rising star in the Democratic Party, praised Harris after the former vice president swore her into office last month.

The post Kamala Harris's Far-Left Protégée To Deliver Progressive Wing's State of the Union Response as Former Vice President Reportedly Eyes Governor's Mansion appeared first on .

Wildfire Looters Show LA’s Law & Order DA Faces ‘Uphill Battle’ In Changing ‘Culture Of Lawlessness’

Los Angeles County DA Nathan Hochman is setting the right tone, but he's dealing with so much damage left by leftist Gascón .

Soros-Funded DA and Bernie-Backed Mayor Indicted on Federal Bribery Charges

A Mississippi district attorney backed by Democratic megadonor George Soros and a Mississippi mayor endorsed by socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) have been indicted on federal bribery charges.

The post Soros-Funded DA and Bernie-Backed Mayor Indicted on Federal Bribery Charges appeared first on .

Blaze News original: Check out these 12 infuriating decisions by trio of prominent, ultra-progressive district attorneys



Three ultra-progressive district attorneys in major urban centers — Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg, Los Angeles County DA George Gascon, and Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner — arguably are the most prominent and powerful among the soft-on-crime crowd.

Leftists love them. Critics, however, repeatedly argue that their actions amount to pro-criminal sentimentality.

He 'doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there and would rather reward the monsters.'

Bragg is well-known for his recent prosecution of former President Donald Trump, but he's also known for things like downgrading 52% of felony cases to misdemeanors. Several times he was forced to change course amid public anger, such as when he dropped what many saw as an unfair murder charge against 61-year-old deli worker Jose Alba who fatally stabbed an attacker in 2022; and a year later when he dropped criminal charges against a parking garage attendant who allegedly shot a man in self-defense; and earlier this year when he indicted seven migrants accused of attacking NYPD officers — only after critics torched him for their no-bail release.

George Soros-backed Gascon has had his share of embarrassing moments, too — such as when he refused to file felony charges against an alleged sex offender, only to move forward with them following public outcry. In addition, a murderer in 2022 vowed to tattoo Gascon's name on his face in appreciation of the DA's policies that lightened his sentence. Gascon also allegedly used "mafia tactics" to intimidate a prosecutor who exposed his woke policies. Yet, the DA has managed to defeat two recall attempts against him.

Krasner — also Soros-backed — had some of his authority stripped late last year due to his failed "liberal, woke" policies. In 2022, Pennsylvania Republicans moved to impeach Krasner for being soft on crime and allowing "chaos" in streets.

Here's a look at a dozen infuriating decisions by the trio:

DA Gascon refuses to jail thug accused of slashing man's neck; same suspect later accused of murdering woman who was shot 19 times


Stefen Sutherland allegedly slashed a construction worker's neck in November 2020 after a noise complaint and was charged with assault with a deadly weapon, law enforcement sources said. Instead of giving him prison time, which a probation official recommended, the office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon gave Sutherland a mental health diversion, Fox News reported. Sutherland was then accused of gunning down Jennifer Gomez on May 23, 2023, over a noise complaint, sources with knowledge of the investigation said. The victim was shot 19 times in her home.

Trans child molester, who was given lenient sentence thanks to DA Gascon's policies, later charged with first-degree murder


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Hannah Tubbs, a biological male, made national headlines in January 2022 after getting sentenced to two years in a juvenile detention facility for molesting a 10-year-old girl in 2014. Tubbs was two weeks shy of turning 18 at the time of the sexual assault, and since one of the policies of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon barred juvenile offenders from adult prosecution, Tubbs at 26 years of age was tried as a juvenile — and was caught laughing and bragging about his light sentence. Then in May 2022, Tubbs was charged with first-degree murder in connection with a separate 2019 case. Gascon's office said it didn't know about Tubbs' murder allegations when the juvenile-facility sentence was handed down earlier in the year. Gascon subsequently changed his controversial policy after outcries, noting that juvenile offenders now may be transferred to the adult court system "in the most egregious cases that warrant a state prison commitment." Amazingly, Gascon in early 2023 suspended a prosecutor for "deadnaming" and "misgendering" Tubbs, who later that year was sentenced to 15 years in prison for manslaughter.

Teen female stabs girl multiple times, resulting in serious wounds, hospitalization — but due to DA Gascon's 'restorative justice' policy, suspect gets only probation 


Video captured the 2021 knife attack in an Inglewood, California, park. The mother of the victim said the attacker punctured her daughter's liver, kidneys, diaphragm, and pericardial sac, and the victim suffered internal bleeding and required an immediate operation to save her life. The attack was over a boy, and afterward the suspect reportedly posted a message on social media and tagged the boy in question, asking him, "Would you love me more, If I killed someone for you?" The office of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon said the accused had no prior criminal record, and getting her treatment was the best option.

DA Gascon gives teen just a few months in juvenile detention after his caught-on-video hit-and-run against mother, baby in stroller; soon after freed teen is shot to death


KABC-TV said the hit-and-run took place in 2021 in Venice, California. Fox News' Bill Melugin said that the suspect was on probation at the time of the horrific incident caught on video and had been convicted previously of spiking a girl's drink at a high school. The teen's light sentence — courtesy of Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon — was reported in June 2022. The mother who was hit blasted the DA in an impact statement: "George Gascon doesn’t value my life or the life of my child, or any other victim out there and would rather reward the monsters like [the juvenile suspect] by demonstrating to them that their actions have no consequences." In January 2023, the teen was shot to death after flirting with a girl at a restaurant. The mother, who ripped Gascon for the light sentence against the teen who hit her and her baby, had this to say about the teen's murder: "The universe delivered the justice we weren’t given in court, but a much harsher punishment than he’d have been dealt in a court of law."

LA county sheriff reveals grim consequences of DA Gascon's justice reform in connection with child porn case


Then-Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in January 2021 that Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon's progressive reform policies resulted in a lighter sentence for a child porn suspect. The sheriff said his department's special victims bureau investigated a male for possession of child pornography with a previous sex crime conviction — after which he pleaded no contest. But Villanueva added that "pursuant to the DA's new directives, both of the defendant's previous strike convictions for sex crimes with a child were stricken," which resulted in a sentence of just two years in state prison. Finally, the sheriff said, "The defendant who has been in custody since his arrest in October 2020 has earned approximately 253 days credit toward his required half time to be served and will likely be released from custody in about 112 days."

Grieving mother blasts DA Bragg for granting plea deals to thugs involved in slaying of her son — an Army vet, husband, and father of 3


Madeline Brame's son, Sgt. Hason Correa, was killed in a 2018 Harlem stabbing, Fox News said, and the grieving mother during an early April 2023 panel discussion mocked Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's infamous "no one is above the law" declaration related to charges he had just brought against former President Donald Trump. "If no one is above the law, then I don't understand how Alvin Bragg could dismiss murder and gang assault indictments against two of the people involved in the murder of my son," she told the cable network. Brame added that New Yorkers are seeing rising crime "out of control every single day" and that Bragg is doing "absolutely zero" about it, the cable network said.

DA Bragg's soft-on-crime Day One memo 'emboldened' crooks — and then 2 cops were fatally shot, angry NYC police union head says


In the days following his Jan. 1, 2022, swearing-in, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg issued a so-called Day One memo to his staff in which he told prosecutors to seek pretrial detention only in "very serious cases" and added a list of low-level offenses his office would no longer prosecute — such as resisting arrest, skipping subway fare, prostitution, marijuana offenses, minor traffic infractions, and operating without a license, the New York Post reported. Later that month, NYPD Officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora were gunned down. That prompted Paul DiGiacomo — president of New York City's Detectives' Endowment Association — to tell Fox News that Bragg's "message was sent to the criminal element," and that's why the officers got killed. DiGiacomo added to the cable news network that Bragg sent "a message out there that there are no consequences for committing crimes, and there are no consequences for resisting arrest." Rivera's widow at his funeral service also blasted Bragg: "The system continues to fail us. We are not safe any more, not even the members of the service. I know you were tired of these new laws, especially the ones from the new DA. I hope he’s watching you speak through me right now."

DA Bragg knocks down felony robbery charges to misdemeanors for career criminal with nearly 90 arrests on his rap sheet


The office of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg knocked down felony robbery charges to misdemeanors for career criminal — 53-year-old Rodney Johnson — who has nearly 90 arrests on his rap sheet, law enforcement sources told the New York Post in 2023. Both alleged robberies took place March 24 at pharmacies in New York City's Chelsea neighborhood, but the paper said prosecutors with Bragg's office reduced the charges to menacing and petit larceny — both misdemeanors.

Soros-funded DA Krasner made sweetheart plea deals with violent crooks whom donors to his campaign legally represented: Report


The Washington Free Beacon, citing city financial records, reported in 2021 that Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner made sweetheart plea deals with violent criminals who donors to his campaign legally represented. The paper said five months after Krasner took office, he reached a plea agreement with two career criminals who murdered a Philadelphia cop, which let them avoid the death penalty — and that defense attorneys Michael Coard and Daniel Stevenson oversaw the deal after donating a combined $2,700 to Krasner's 2017 campaign. Later, Krasner reached a plea deal with a career criminal who shot a Philadelphia deli owner with an AK-47 during an armed robbery, the Free Beacon said, adding that Krasner campaign donor Philip Steinberg represented the shooter — who received "as little as three-and-a-half years in prison for aggravated assault, a step below the attempted murder charge the DA's office initially pursued." The paper said Krasner's campaign did not return a request for comment.

US attorney accuses DA Krasner of keeping cop killer out of prison


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Blaze News senior editor Daniel Horowitz noted in March 2020 that William McSwain — U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania — accused George Soros-backed Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner of keeping a cop killer out of jail. When a Philadelphia SWAT team was trying to serve a warrant to Hassan Elliott, the suspect allegedly fired multiple rounds through his apartment door, which fatally wounded 23-year veteran Cpl. James O’Connor IV, Horowitz said. McSwain said in a press release that "Elliott was on the street for one reason: because of District Attorney Krasner’s pro-violent defendant policies. Those policies — which include permissive bail conditions for violent offenders, failing to pursue serious probation and parole violations by violent criminals, offering lenient plea deals for violent offenses, and outright withdrawing cases against violent felons — put dangerous criminals like Elliott on the street.”

DA Krasner withdraws armed carjacking case when victim doesn't show; suspect later accused of killing Philly college student


The officer of Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner's office withdrew a summer 2021 case against an accused carjacker because the victim failed to appear in court, KYW-TV reported. But just months later that same suspect was accused of killing Samuel Collington, a Temple University student who was fatally shot while unloading his vehicle after returning from Thanksgiving with his family. The suspect in Collington's killing — then-17-year-old Latif Williams, who turned himself in to police — also was believed to have been involved in other uncharged carjackings in the area where Collington was fatally shot, sources told the station.

DA Krasner declines to file charges against 4 pro-Palestinian protesters accused of assaulting UPenn police


Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said his office declined to file assault charges against four pro-Palestinian protesters whom Penn cops arrested in May 2024 as the protesters allegedly attempted to occupy a campus building, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Krasner said although his office approved misdemeanor charges against three protestors — for resisting arrest or defiant trespass — prosecutors declined to approve more serious charges that police recommended, the paper reported. Krasner added, according to the Inquirer, that law enforcement should “tread lightly and be careful before we act like every kind of protest is a crime. It is not."

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Top adviser to leftist DA George Gascón — his ADA of ethics and integrity operations — hit with 11 felony charges



A top adviser for Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón was slapped Wednesday with 11 felony charges over her alleged "repeated and unauthorized use of data from confidential, statutorily protected peace officer files."

Diana Teran, Gascón's assistant district attorney of ethics and integrity operations as well as his designee on immigration policy issues, has long been suspected of unlawfully downloading confidential L.A. County Sheriff's Department files in 2018 while still an LASD employee.

Teran allegedly yanked data on 11 sheriff's deputies in concert with L.A. County Inspector General Max Huntsman's office, the outfit tasked with oversight of the sheriff's department.

According to California Attorney General Rob Bonta, Teran "impermissibly used that data" after joining Gascón's team in January 2021.

Former Undersheriff Tim Murakami told KABC-TV in 2019 that Teran, who previously served as a constitutional policing adviser for the LASD, downloaded the confidential records for Huntsman and the Office of the Inspector General just days before former LASD Sheriff Alex Villanueva was sworn into office.

The downloads reportedly first came to light in civil litigation between the county and the LASD over Villanueva's rehiring of Deputy Caren Carl Mandoyan, who had previously been canned for alleged domestic violence and stalking.

According to a declaration by an LASD detective filed in the Superior Court of the State of California, Teran accessed the records through what is known as the Personnel Review Management System on Nov. 28, 2018, downloading "78 documents from 22 unique LASD employee case files."

Among the documents Gascón's future ally allegedly absconded with were "14 documents, totaling approximately 2000 pages, from case files related to Sheriff Alex Villanueva. Additionally, Ms. Teran downloaded documents from the case files of at least eight current and former LASD executives."

Huntsman claimed that his office had the legal right to inspect the files, noting, "We're required to keep them confidential — so we don't put out confidential information — but we're allowed to see the whole picture, so we can get a good view of things, and that includes the sheriff department's personnel records."

Huntsman further suggested that the files mentioned in the detective's declaration were of interest because they had been designated as secret, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Murakami disagreed, stating, "That code doesn't give him [Huntsman] free rein to look at anything."

"The problem with him is that he's actually violating the law. He may think he's doing a good thing, but you can't violate a law in order to enforce a law," added the former undersheriff.

The LASD launched a criminal investigation into Huntsman and Teran, suggesting they were looking at possible "Conspiracy, Theft of Government Property, Unauthorized Computer Access, Theft of Confidential Files, Unlawful dissemination of Confidential Files, Potential Civil Rights Violations, and Burglary."

The AG's office evidently figured there was something to the allegations.

Each of the 11 felony counts Teran now faces is punishable by up to three years in jail and a maximum fine of $10,000.

"No one is above the law," said California Attorney General Rob Bonta. "Public officials are called to serve the people and the State of California with integrity and honesty."

Teran's attorney James Spertus echoed the OIG's years-old claims when asked about the charges, telling the Los Angeles Times, "They're charging her for doing something within the scope of her employment, that she has a duty to do."

Spertus suggested that the investigation into Teran was prompted by a complaint by Villanueva, who reportedly referred to Teran's downloads this week as as "massive data breach."

Gascón said in a statement obtained by the Times, "I remain committed to upholding transparency and ensuring police accountability within Los Angeles County."

Teran started off in Gascón's office as a special adviser. She went on to deal with prosecutions of police and attorney misconduct. Just recently, Gascón — whom hundreds of thousands of L.A. County residents have desperately attempted to remove from office in multiple recall efforts — promoted Teran to assistant district attorney.

Nathan Hochman, the candidate looking to beat Gascón on Nov. 5 in the L.A. County District Attorney race, wrote Wednesday night on X, "Did Gascon know about the AG Investigation BEFORE he promoted Diana Teran to Assistant DA in charge of ethics and integrity on Jan 4, 2024?? If so, he should resign immediately for such leadership malpractice. If not, he's so asleep and unaware of what's going on around him that he should resign or that reason as well."

Hochman highlighted Gascón's apparent reliance on Teran, suggesting this development "is yet another sign of Hasco's poor judgment and failed leadership.

As you can see, Diana Teran was one of Gascon\u2019s most trusted leaders. Now she\u2019s facing 11 criminal charges brought by the state AG. This is yet another sign of Gascon\u2019s poor judgment and failed leadership. #GasconMustGo
— (@)

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Prosecutor: California DA Dropped Bombshell Election Data Case Because It Might Help Trump

[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-17-at-2.26.55 PM-1200x675.png crop_info="%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//thefederalist.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-17-at-2.26.55%5Cu202fPM-1200x675.png%22%7D" expand=1]For political reasons, Los Angeles DA George Gascon dismissed the criminal charges against Konnech CEO Eugene Yu, says the lead prosecutor on the case.

RFK Jr. Taps Soft-on-Crime Donor for VP

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday named one of his donors, Bay Area attorney Nicole Shanahan, as his running mate. Shanahan helped bankroll progressive Los Angeles district attorney George Gascón's (D.) campaign and backed some of California's major soft-on-crime policies.

The post RFK Jr. Taps Soft-on-Crime Donor for VP appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.