LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey to expunge 66,000 weed convictions

LA County District Attorney Jackie Lacey announced that she’s moving to dismiss 66,000 marijuana convictions dating back to 1961.

Drug convictions have disproportionately affected people of color -- an issue long pushed by criminal justice reform advocates.

Lacey is working with Code for America, a technology group that has developed an algorithm to quickly identify people eligible to have their convictions dismissed.

George Gascon, who’s vying to replace Lacey as LA District Attorney in a race in March, previously worked with Code for America to dismiss convictions in San Francisco two years ago, when he was district attorney there.