Democratic Socialists of America candidates in Los Angeles are openly advocating for the complete abolition of the LAPD, threatening to dismantle the nation’s third-largest police force through what critics warn could fundamentally endanger public safety in America’s second-largest city.

Radical Policy Platform Targets Law Enforcement

DSA-LA’s 2021 candidate questionnaires expose an agenda that goes well beyond typical progressive police reform. Candidates like Daniel Lee, who ran for California’s 30th State Senate district, explicitly endorsed abolishing police and prisons entirely while reallocating law enforcement budgets to welfare programs. The questionnaire asks candidates whether they support defunding the California Highway Patrol and LAPD, with affirmative answers required for DSA endorsement. This represents a direct threat to traditional law-and-order principles that have kept communities safe for generations, replacing experienced officers with untested social workers.

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Following George Floyd Protests Into Extremism

The DSA-LA movement gained momentum during 2020’s George Floyd protests when “Defund the Police” became a rallying cry across American cities. While many Democrats eventually backed away from defunding rhetoric after crime spikes, DSA candidates doubled down. They pushed Los Angeles to slash LAPD’s then-$1.8 billion budget and supported failed ballot measures like 2020’s Measure J. Candidates frame their opposition as fighting “capitalism’s mutation of slavery” through mass incarceration, connecting police work to systemic racism and economic inequality in LA’s struggling neighborhoods plagued by homelessness and poverty.

Electoral Strategy Threatens Police Union Power

DSA-LA candidates openly acknowledge their mission to “challenge the power” of police unions, which have historically funded opponents and protected officer interests. The questionnaires reveal a coordinated electoral strategy: win city council and state legislative seats, then use those positions to fire officers involved in violence, eliminate qualified immunity protections, and strip collective bargaining rights. Candidates allied with Black Lives Matter activists and environmental groups see this as bottom-up organizing. However, critics recognize this as a calculated attempt to politicize law enforcement, prioritizing ideology over the safety concerns of everyday Angelenos who depend on police protection.

The DSA’s “public safety as public health” framework proposes diverting police responsibilities to community ambassadors and social workers, particularly for mental health crises and non-violent incidents. Candidates support using eminent domain to convert hotels into homeless housing and repealing rent control restrictions under Costa-Hawkins. While DSA frames these as solutions to LA’s crises, the practical effect would leave neighborhoods vulnerable during emergencies. The LAPD budget has stabilized around $1.9 billion through fiscal year 2024-25, suggesting voters rejected the most extreme defunding proposals despite DSA electoral gains in 2019 and 2022.

The Stakes for Public Safety in 2026

As of 2026, no coordinated “hostile takeover” conspiracy has materialized beyond normal campaign activity, but the underlying threat remains real. DSA-LA continues pushing renter protections and Green New Deal policies while police reform has largely stalled amid rising crime concerns that emerged during 2020-2022. The movement exposes a troubling reality: fringe candidates with no law enforcement experience are gaining influence in government, promoting untested social experiments that could leave communities defenseless. Their success would fundamentally reshape policing in America’s major cities, eroding the foundational principle that government’s primary duty is protecting citizens from harm and maintaining order.

Sources:

DSA-LA Candidate Questionnaire – Daniel Lee