A representative for the group that wants to get rid of Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon said that an envelope with white powder and hate symbols was sent to one of the group's offices.
Tim Lineberger, a spokesman for Recall Gascon, said that the envelope was sent to the office on Thursday in one of the return petition envelopes. This caused the staff to leave the building.
Lineberger told The Post that it had a white powdery substance inside and that swear words and swastikas came out of it.
Lineberger said that the LAPD was called right away and sent its hazmat and bomb squads to the scene.
Officer Matthew Cruz, a spokesperson for the LAPD, said the agency got a call around 4 p.m. about "an unknown powder."
Tim Rosales of the Recall Gascon campaign tweeted a picture of the envelope with the white powder spread out on a table.
“White powder and hate speech symbols just found in one of our #RecallDAGeorgeGascon return petition envelopes,” Rosales said. “Authorities have been notified and we are making sure our great volunteers are ok. There are a few bad/sick people out there.”
Lineberger said that when the envelope was opened, there were seven volunteers and staff at the office.
“Everyone is OK,” Lineberger said. “This is a very crucial time (in the recall campaign) and we are losing hours, but of course our first and foremost concern is for our staff and volunteers.”
Lineberger said that the office has gotten hate mail before, but never any racist or powdery comments until today. Officers in hazmat suits looked at the substance while people in the office were told to leave, he said.
So far, there have been no reports of hurt people.
In the past few weeks, the movement to get rid of Gascon as mayor has gained steam as people get more angry about how he treats crime. He's been getting a lot of flak lately because he made a deal with a man on a gun charge in 2021 that only got him probation. This man, William Flores, shot and killed two El Monte police officers earlier this month.
To get on the ballot, the LA County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk's Office must receive 566,857 signatures by July 6. This is 10% of all registered voters in Los Angeles County.
On its website, the Recall Gascon campaign said that petitions had to be mailed out by Friday or brought back to an office by June 30.
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