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Opponents of Los Angeles County's top prosecutor said Wednesday they were inching closer to collecting the required number of signatures needed to initiate a second recall attempt.
The campaign to recall District Attorney George Gascon also said it has raised $3.5 million dollars in addition to collecting more than 125,000 signatures, leaving the effort well-positioned to gather the 566,857 signatures -- 10% of registered voters -- needed by a July 6 deadline.
The group has to submit the signatures to the office of the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder and County Clerk. If successful, the recall question could appear on the November 2022 ballot.
"Gascon is running scared right now, and we have the momentum and necessary infrastructure in place to make this recall successful," campaign co-chairs said in a statement.
A Recall George Gascon sign and Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon. The group leading the recall effort said Wednesday it was getting more signatures in hopes of getting the recall question on a ballot. (Getty Images)
Organizers are expecting a batch of possibly 20,000 more signatures on Friday, they told Fox News.
Elise Moore, a spokesperson for Gascon's campaign told Fox News the number of collected signatures hasn't surpassed the "insufficient amount they had during their first failed attempt."
"When you look at the math and consider what is still needed, they are underperforming," she said.
The recall attempt is the group's second just after a year Gascon took office. In that time, he has come under fire for a series of directives opponents have labeled as being part of a pro-criminal agenda.
In February, the Los Angeles Association of Deputy District Attorneys announced that 98% of its members voted in favor of the effort to oust their boss.
In addition, nearly three dozen cities in the county have issued votes of no confidence against Gascon and lawmakers in the wealthy enclave of Beverly Hills unanimously voted to support the recall in January.
Several candidates in Los Angeles mayoral race have also publicly criticized the district attorney.
"Gascon's totally on an island politically right now," recall spokesman Tim Lineberger told Fox News. "You're seeing him being used as a litmus test in the various local elections. It's 'Do you support the recall of George Gascon?'"
Previously a deputy Los Angeles police chief and top prosecutor in San Francisco, Gascon was elected the nation's largest prosecutorial office amid a progressive wave following national conversations about police misconduct and racial injustice.
Immediately upon taking office, Gascon halted the seeking of sentencing enhancements and seeking cash bail for criminal defendants A blanket policy prohibiting juvenile suspects from being tried in adult court has since been rolled back after a convicted sex offender gloated about her light sentence on a jailhouse phone call.
As violent crime began increasing, the backlash was swift and it's not only from conservatives.
His support among some circles also appears to be waning following several hi-profiles crimes, including the murder of Jacqueline Avant, a philanthropist and wife of legendary music producer Motown producer Clarence Avant, in their Beverly Hills home during a home invasion.
Banners have cropped up around Los Angeles blasting Gascon for allegedly "unleashing crime and death" on the population. (Fox News Digital)
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The random stabbing death of Brianna Kupfer, a 24-year-old resident of Los Angeles's Westside, while working in a furniture store and the brazen thefts of upscale retailers and follow-home robberies have come amid increased scrutiny. During a vigil for Kupfer in January, several people, including some elected officials, accused the district attorney of abandoning crime victims.
Even some left-leaning Hollywood figures are partially funding the recall effort, according to Los Angeles Magazine.
Fox News has reached out to the Gascon campaign for comment.
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