City attorney’s offices statewide have been handling prosecutions for decades and Manhattan Beach is now joining their ranks. The city council voted 4-0 last year to replace the Los Angeles District Attorney’s office in prosecuting local infractions and misdemeanors with the Richards, Watson & Gershon law firm.
“The crazy thing about the situation is the district attorney’s office opposing any kind of joint effort between Redondo Beach and the Manhattan Beach City Attorney’s office in prosecuting crimes,” said Katie Charleston, a federal litigator in Huntington Beach.
Initially, Manhattan Beach would have liked to pay the city of Redondo Beach $300,000 to prosecute its state misdemeanors but Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has yet to approve the measure.
As a result, state misdemeanors remain under the jurisdiction of Gascón, who revised chapter 9 of the Legal Policies Manual as a way to reduce recidivism.
“Gascón is failing to prosecute infractions and misdemeanors,” Charleston told OrangeCountyLawyers.com. “I predict that more cities will follow suit with the way things are going in California overall but particularly in LA County.”
The City of Whittier and Pico Rivera have also considered handling misdemeanor prosecutions in-house due to similar reasons.
At 1 in 34 in Manhattan Beach versus 1 in 43 in Los Angeles, the chances of becoming a victim of property crime is higher in Manhattan Beach, according to Neighborhood Scout. In Redondo Beach, the chances are 1 in 44.
But Gascón’s reforms are based on reports that more than 47% of those incarcerated pre-trial on misdemeanor cases suffer from mental illness, nearly 60% of those released each day have a significant substance use disorder, and individuals experiencing homelessness account for some 20% of arrests despite comprising only 1.7% of the population.
“Los Angeles County courts should not be revolving doors for those in need of treatment and services,” Gascón said in his 2020 special directive (PDF). “Misdemeanor convictions create difficulties with employment, housing, education, government benefits, and immigration for non-citizens and citizens alike.”
Gascón has survived two recall attempts since he was elected in November 2020. His current term ends on Dec. 1 and he is up for re-election on Nov. 5.
Charleston argues that not prosecuting infractions and misdemeanors wreaks havoc on beach communities like Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.
“There’s no deterrent for those types of crimes and residents who live closer to the beach deal with trespassing regularly, public intoxication in their front yard and graffiti on their fences,” she said. “When these things aren’t prosecuted, then it’s left up to homeowners to try and rectify the situation, which has its own dangers.”
Richards, Watson & Gershon law firm is being paid $234 per hour for providing prosecutorial services to Manhattan Beach, according to MB News. It’s a cost most cities pass on to their residents.
“There are ways the city was benefiting from the county prosecuting their crimes,” Charleston said in an interview with OrangeCountyLawyers.com. “Taking this on themselves, unless a new tax is imposed to help with that, will lead to the city having to pay for it.”
Known as the ‘Pearl of LA’s South Bay,” the 35,585 residents of Manhattan Beach can likely afford it.
In 2023, the enclave’s median household income was $169,586 and the median home value was $2 million, according to 247 Wall Street analysis.
“There are a lot of people who have lived there for a long time, so based on what we’re seeing in today’s housing market, I would say they’re probably on the higher end,” Charleston added.
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*Photo courtesy of Pedro Szekely; License
Juliette Fairley covers legal topics for various publications including the Southern California Record, the Epoch Times and Pacer Monitor-News. Prior to discovering she had an ease and facility for law, Juliette lived in Orange County and Los Angeles where she pursued acting in television and film.