‘They Live In This Woke Palace’: Los Angeles Sheriff Goes After Liberal DAs For Homicide Surge

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva told Fox News Tuesday night that liberal district attorneys are living in a “woke palace” and pushing policies that undermine public safety.

Villanueva was asked to react to comments made by San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who recently said calls for tough measures against the recent spike in crime were “knee-jerk reactions” and that “smash-and-grab” thefts in the state were “not new.”

“There’s nothing ‘knee-jerk’ about it,” Villanueva shot back while speaking on Fox News. “It’s just common sense. This person just does not get it and I’m sorry to hear that. But you know what? He has a responsibility to have – if you want to do reform, that’s great. No one argues about reforming any system of government.”

“But when you fly in the face of common sense, the fact that we have in our country, L.A. County … I have a 92% increase in homicides in two years. I have a 16% increase in grand-theft auto. I have a ‘zero bail’ schedule, which means every person I catch with a stolen car gets a ticket, walks out of jail … in fact, they’re out of jail before they’re even done writing the report, the deputies,” he continued, before taking aim at Boudin’s claim.

“And this person [Boudin] claims it’s a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ to go back to holding people accountable? I think the old-fashioned ‘having people suffer the consequences for engaging in crime’ means something,” he continued. “And it’s people … They live in this ‘woke palace’ where they’re not affected by the policies, but the average person IS impacted by them.”

Villanueva also claimed Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón has tossed more than 12,000 cases rather than prosecute suspects. (RELATED: LA Sheriff Hits Back At Left-Wing District Attorney Who Called Him ‘A Pig’)

“What we need now is, we need responsible district attorneys who are going to file their cases. And if they want to play the role of public defender, they should just quit their job and go over to the public defenders – and everything they say makes perfect sense for a public defender, not a district attorney,” Villanueva concluded.

Violent crime rates throughout Los Angeles have been on the rise for two years, the Los Angeles Times reported. Car thefts are up nearly 53% while homicides are up 46.7% from 2019. In one of the city’s wealthiest neighborhoods, Beverly Hills, violent crime jumped 23% in the last two years, according to the outlet.

Gascón vowed to reverse harsh-on-crime policies when he was elected in December of 2020. Among his reforms, Gascón announced in November he would release a convicted murderer who served six-years of his 50-year sentence. Gascón also announced in May he would not seek the death penalty against a couple who allegedly murdered and tortured a 10-year-old boy, sparking backlash.