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Famed LA prosecutor asks judge to force woke boss George Gascon to answer questions under oath

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Famed LA prosecutor asks judge to force woke boss George Gascon to answer questions under oath

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FIRST ON FOX: A prominent Los Angeles prosecutor suing the county in a whistleblower retaliation lawsuit is asking a judge to force his boss, District Attorney George Gascon, to sit for a deposition under oath.

John Lewin, who prosecuted real estate heir-turned-killer Robert Durst, says he was demoted from a prestigious position handling cold case trials to a mere “calendar deputy” after he questioned the legality of some of his boss’s policies.

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Now a motion to compel comes after Lewin’s lawyers say Gascon refused to show up for previously scheduled depositions. 

LA PROSECUTOR SAYS BOSS GASCON SENT POLICE TO INTIMIDATE HER AT HOME AFTER BLOWING WHISTLE ON SOFT-ON-CRIME MEMO

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin makes opening statements in the Robert Durst murder trial in Los Angeles on March 4, 2020. (Etienne Laurent/Pool via Reuters)

“At the time of my demotion, nobody in my chain of command was aware of it,” Lewin told Fox News Digital. “It came from the highest levels of the office. I very much look forward to George Gascon and his administration being forced to sit under oath where they’re going to have to answer questions.”

If the order is granted, it could be the first time Gascon is deposed under oath in one of more than a dozen lawsuits subordinates have filed against him.

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He was ordered to sit in one other lawsuit, but the trial kicked off before he had a chance, and he took the witness stand instead, according to Robert Glassman, one of Lewin’s attorneys. It ended in a $1.5 million judgment for Deputy District Attorney Shawn Randolph.

LOS ANGELES COUNTY JURY AWARDS $1.5M TO PROSECUTOR SUING DA GEORGE GASCON FOR RETALIATION

Lewin filed the retaliation lawsuit after he says he was demoted for writing to his superiors about the apparent unlawfulness of a series of “special directives” Gascon issued after taking office in 2020.

“It’s just a blatant act of retaliation. You have arguably the top prosecutor in the county, he is indispensable to the office, and you remove him from an elite unit and put him out in a satellite court running calendar,” Glassman told Fox News Digital. “And this is the same guy who has been vocal from day one about Gascon’s policies and how they’re not in the best interest of the office and how they’re illegal.”

Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images/File)

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Lewin, in a series of lengthy emails, described why he believed the directives violated state law, and in February 2021, a Los Angeles judge agreed, issuing an injunction against policies that prevented deputy district attorneys from filing “strike” offenses under California’s “three strikes” law.

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“John specifically requested that if his interpretation of the illegality of the policy was incorrect, that he be directed to the legal authority which supported the District Attorney’s order,” his lawyers wrote. “There was no response to this email.”

A hearing on Lewin’s motion has been scheduled for September. 

Deputy District Attorney John Lewin presents opening arguments in the murder trial of New York real estate heir Robert Durst on March 5, 2020, in Los Angeles. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

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It’s been a struggle since his demotion, his lawyer said, but the veteran deputy district attorney remains dedicated to doing the best job he can for the citizens of Los Angeles County.

“They took something away from him that he is so passionate about,” Glassman said. “It’s his life. As with anyone in public service, they’re not doing it for the money.”

Lewin, described in court filings as “one of the most celebrated and accomplished prosecutors in Los Angeles,” recently cut a leave short to come back to prosecute the cold case murder and rape suspect Charles Wright, who was a teacher in Inglewood. Jury selection for the trial is currently underway.

“He possesses a special skill set that, quite frankly, other prosecutors don’t have,” Glassman told Fox News Digital. “That’s OK, but they know their limitations, and they know they need John. So, they had to call him out of leave to help prosecute this complicated case because he’s the right man for the job.”

 

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Lewin and another prominent Los Angeles prosecutor, John McKinney, both said they were demoted from the Major Crimes Division in September 2022 after voicing disagreement with Gascon’s policies. By the time Randolph won her lawsuit in 2023, at least 17 retaliation lawsuits had been filed.

McKinney also won high-profile convictions, prosecuting Eric Holder, who murdered Grammy-winning rapper Nipsey Hussle.

Gascon’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest filing.

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West

‘Starry Night Murderer’ allegedly terrorizing people after early prison release, parole violations

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‘Starry Night Murderer’ allegedly terrorizing people after early prison release, parole violations

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A former Portland nightclub owner convicted in a notorious 1990 murder is back in jail, this time accused of domestic violence and a parole violation in Clackamas County.

Larry Hurwitz, also known as the “Starry Night Murderer,” was arrested last week in Sandy on allegations of harassment and fourth-degree assault and is being held on a parole violation, according to jail records. He was booked into the Clackamas County Jail, where bail was set at $500,000.

The Oregon Board of Parole confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hurwitz is serving lifetime post-prison supervision for his murder conviction and has no other underlying convictions under Board supervision. Parole officials said a warrant was issued in 2019, served in 2023, and that Hurwitz was extradited from California. 

Board records also show Hurwitz previously had his supervision revoked in August 2019 and served a 180-day sanction.

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TEXAS CULT IN CROSSHAIRS OF KILLER MOM’S BATHTUB SLAYINGS CASE AS QUESTIONS HANG OVER FAMILY HORROR

Tim Moreau is shown in an undated photo. Moreau, a former employee of the Starry Night Concert Hall, was killed in 1990 in a case that later led to the conviction of nightclub owner Larry Hurwitz. (KPTV)

Hurwitz was sentenced in 2000 to 11 years in prison for the 1990 murder of his 21-year-old employee, Tim Moreau. Hurwitz was the former owner of the Starry Night Concert Hall in northwest Portland.

According to KPTV, the case was first exposed by veteran journalist Jim Redden in a 1990 Willamette Week investigative series titled “Missing and Presumed Dead.” The reporting examined the disappearance of Moreau, who worked as the promotions manager at the Starry Night club.

“He did in fact start this incredibly influential Starry Night club,” Redden told KPTV. “He could have climbed to the top of the entire business here in town. But he had this dark side that undermined everything he did.”

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GRANDSON CHARGED WITH MURDERING RETIRED GRANDPARENTS FOUND DEAD IN THEIR SOUTH CAROLINA HOME

Larry Hurwitz enters a courthouse during a court appearance in an archival image. Hurwitz, a former Portland nightclub owner, was convicted in the 1990 murder of employee Tim Moreau. (KPTV)

Redden told the outlet that from the beginning, he believed Hurwitz was responsible for Moreau’s disappearance, describing Hurwitz as an aggressive businessman with a reputation for selling counterfeit concert tickets at his own venue.

Prosecutors later argued Hurwitz killed Moreau alongside another employee, George Castagnola, to prevent the ticket scheme from being exposed. Hurwitz ultimately entered a no-contest plea. Moreau’s body has never been found.

After Hurwitz’s early release from prison in 2008, Redden told KPTV that Hurwitz continued to have run-ins with law enforcement, including a 2019 drug trafficking case in California.

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FLORIDA MADMAN STALKED TOURISTS NEAR DISNEY BEFORE ALLEGEDLY KILLING THEM IN RANDOM ATTACK: FAMILY

Family members of Tim Moreau walk together inside a courthouse in an archival image. Moreau was killed in 1990 in a case that later led to the conviction of former Portland nightclub owner Larry Hurwitz. (KPTV)

“He was arrested in California on a drug trafficking charge down in Huntington Beach, California, with four kilos of cocaine and $320,000 in cash and was convicted on that,” Redden said.

Redden told KPTV that while the current arrest appears less severe on its face, it could still have broader implications.

“On the surface, it is a much smaller arrest. It’s domestic violence,” Redden said. “But I don’t think that the full story has come out yet. The investigation is ongoing, and there could be some connections to previous cases.”

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The Clackamas County District Attorney’s Office told Fox News Digital it cannot comment on the specifics of the case, citing an ongoing investigation. Prosecutors said the parole violation process is separate from the criminal case and is handled outside the DA’s office.

Hurwitz is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 4. His trial is set for March 19.

Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.

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San Francisco, CA

SF changes method to count unhoused; advocate believes it’s political, will lead to undercount

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SF changes method to count unhoused; advocate believes it’s political, will lead to undercount


SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — For the first time in more than two decades, San Francisco is changing the way it counts the number of unhoused individuals on its streets.

“This is a major change. We’re going from nighttime count to early morning count because we feel we’ll be reaching more people at night people. I was homeless for 18 years. You could never find me,” said Del Seymour, Co-chair San Francisco’s Local Homeless Coordinating Board.

Thursday’s ‘Point in Time’ count will now happen from 5 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Historically, it happened overnight.

Another change, community volunteers will not be involved. Instead, it will only be trained city employees and outreach workers. The Coalition on Homelessness sees that as a lack of transparency.

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“They’re not allowing any volunteers on the count. And so, they’re relying on city outreach workers, who in our experience, when they did the RV count, they missed 1 in 5 RVs. It means that it’s not open. And you don’t have the observers and the people participatory process that I think is really important to make sure that everything’s going well,” said Jennifer Friedenbach, Executive Director SF’s Coalition on Homelessness.

MORE: Mayor Lurie talks affordability, homelessness and bringing business back to the SF

We sat with Emily Cohen HSH’s Deputy Director of Communications, who said they made the change to improve visibility.

“We will be identifying vehicles that appear to be occupied and trying to assess if somebody is living in that vehicle. Certainly, if there’s a tent on the street, we make assumptions about how many people are in those tents and try to put together the most accurate picture possible,” said Cohen.

Luz Pena: “Why are volunteers not part of this count?”

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Emily Cohen: “To help ensure consistency and transparency of the count, we are relying heavily on trained outreach workers and city staff to conduct the count. Those two groups have always been a part of the count. But in the past, we have had more general volunteers, but we’ve had some training challenges with that in the past, so we’re sticking with, city staff and trained outreach workers this year.”

This time around, the city will also conduct a survey that will include questions like ‘are you homeless?’ and ‘what led to you being homeless?’

Luz Pena: “Do you believe this new method will lead to a more accurate count?”

Emily Cohen: “I think that these improvements will help us ensure an accurate count.”

Our data team aggregated the city’s PIT count data and found that between 2009 and 2024 the number of homeless individuals rose by nearly 30 percent.

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MORE: Counting San Francisco’s unhoused — and why you never ask if they are homeless

Some homeless advocates believe the new change is political and could lead to an under count.

“We’re really worried with, you know, a, you know, political intervention on the count, that there could be a false under count and we could show a decrease that in reality is not there,” said Friedenbach.

MORE: Formerly unhoused San Jose Columbus Park residents adjusting to restrictions in new home

In the Fiscal year 2025 to 2026, the city is projected to get $62.8 million or 7.4% of the total budget from federal sources. The city’s Homelessness and Supportive Housing Department will continue with this method for the next 10 years to build up a strong data set.

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“We are working very closely with all of the outreach teams in the city, with city staff to go cover every square inch of the city and county of San Francisco to visually count everyone who we assume is experiencing homelessness,” said Cohen.


Copyright © 2026 KGO-TV. All Rights Reserved.



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Denver, CO

Contract for National Western Center pedestrian bridge advances

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Contract for National Western Center pedestrian bridge advances


Members of the South Platte River Committee voted on Wednesday to advance a $12.7 million contract with Ames Construction to construct a new pedestrian bridge at the National Western Center. City officials say the project will improve east-west campus and GES connectivity by spanning nine railroad tracks and connecting to the RTD N Line Commuter […]



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