LA District Attorney Jackie Lacey on her potential challenger, death penalty, and pot

Jackie Lacey has been the District Attorney of Los Angeles County for six years. She’s seeking re-election next year. She’s already been endorsed by Mayor Eric Garcetti and Congressman Adam Schiff. But now San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon, who’s a well known progressive DA, says he’s thinking about making a run for Lacey’s job.  

Activists argue Lacey hasn’t done enough to push criminal justice reforms and prosecute officers accused of misconduct.

Activists from Black Lives Matter regularly protest outside her office. Among the complaints: the incarceration rate for black residents is four times the rate for white residents. 

Lacey responds to Press Play, "We don't take into account a person's race when we're talking about charging. Our mission statement says we protect the community through the fair and ethical pursuit of justice. And I'm very much aware of the disparities, and we do our absolute best to make sure that race is not used to charge a defendant. We look at the charges, we look at the facts, we look at identity. And we also are conscious of implicit bias."