After he took office, Gascon ordered his prosecutors to no longer attend parole hearings. Even in the most egregious cases, such as the murder of Los Angeles County sheriff’s chaplain Bruce Bryan and the attempted murder of Sheriff’s Deputy Terrence Wenger, Gascon’s deputies are instructed to not attend parole hearings and not argue for the continued incarceration of murderers, child molesters and rapists. As just one example, without input from the DA’s office, the parole board voted in September 2023 to recommend that Byran’s killer, Derek “D Krazy” Pettis, be released on parole. That’s when I, as a private citizen, decided to take action. I wrote a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom and urged him to use his authority to reverse the parole board’s recommendation and deny Pettis parole. On Day 1 as District Attorney, I will reverse Gascon’s shocking pro-criminal parole policy and immediately start sending Deputy District Attorneys to parole hearings to provide input on whether violent offenders should be released on parole. Our victims’ unit will support victims, survivors, and families throughout the parole hearing process.