LOS ANGELES, CA - The city of Los Angeles has voted on a new district attorney who has vowed to take a tougher-on-crime approach and rebuild trust amongst the prosecutors within that office.
According to Politico, Nathan Hochman, a Republican-turned-independent former prosecutor and defense attorney, won an election on a message of reversing what he calls "Gascón's social experiments" and tapping into state laws that allow district attorneys to take a heavier-handed approach to prosecuting property crimes.
Hochman stopped short of casting his campaign as a repudiation of criminal justice reform and instead focused his campaign squarely on George Gascón, whom voters have resoundingly ousted. Hochman promised to restore a district attorney's office that was forced to follow along with Gascón's progressive policies. The DA faced sharp criticism amid a spike in property crimes like car thefts and shoplifting.
During Hochman's watch party on Tuesday, November 5th, videos played on large screens featuring crime victims and their families telling stories about how Gascón had abandoned them. There were also videos from prosecutors who said that the office's policies obstructed their jobs and forced hundreds of staff members to leave.
Jessie McGrath, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney said, "I have worked for five different district attorneys, both Democrat and Republican. But the level of mismanagement and incompetence that I have witnessed over the last three and a half years from this administration has been staggering."
On Wednesday, November 6th, Gascón gave a concession message as he trailed by more than 20 percent. He said, "The rightward shift across America last night is heartbreaking. Democrats have a long road ahead, but the work is more vital than ever and our commitment will not waver. Nonetheless, I have called Mr. Hochman and wish him the best as Los Angeles County's next District Attorney.
I'm deeply proud of what we've accomplished over the past four years and grateful to the communities who have been and will always be the heart of criminal justice reform."
Gascón came into office promising to turn back the country's history of lock 'em up law enforcement. Instead, he ended case bail, decline to seek the death penalty, and halted the use of sentencing enhancements. Opponents launched two recall attempts, both of which failed to qualify for the ballot.
At the watch party, Hochman told reporters, "Safety is a crossover issue. Whether you're on the left or the right, whether you're back, white, Latino, Asian, people want to be safe again in this community. They want the police to actually do a very good job at their job." In 2022, Hochman unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for attorney general and lost to Rob Bonta.
This time around, he recast himself as a moderate independent who believes in tougher penalties for crimes without taking the department too far to the right. His wife, Vivienne Villa, said, "My husband is and always has been a centrist. He's not a far-right extremist because he was once a Republican. Nathan has always believed that criminal justice reform and public safety are not mutually exclusive."
Hochman said that while the passing of Proposition 36 will give DAs more tools to do their jobs, rising crime in the county is squarely on Gascón's refusal to enforce state laws that are already on the books.
According to Politico, Nathan Hochman, a Republican-turned-independent former prosecutor and defense attorney, won an election on a message of reversing what he calls "Gascón's social experiments" and tapping into state laws that allow district attorneys to take a heavier-handed approach to prosecuting property crimes.
Hochman stopped short of casting his campaign as a repudiation of criminal justice reform and instead focused his campaign squarely on George Gascón, whom voters have resoundingly ousted. Hochman promised to restore a district attorney's office that was forced to follow along with Gascón's progressive policies. The DA faced sharp criticism amid a spike in property crimes like car thefts and shoplifting.
During Hochman's watch party on Tuesday, November 5th, videos played on large screens featuring crime victims and their families telling stories about how Gascón had abandoned them. There were also videos from prosecutors who said that the office's policies obstructed their jobs and forced hundreds of staff members to leave.
Jessie McGrath, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney said, "I have worked for five different district attorneys, both Democrat and Republican. But the level of mismanagement and incompetence that I have witnessed over the last three and a half years from this administration has been staggering."
On Wednesday, November 6th, Gascón gave a concession message as he trailed by more than 20 percent. He said, "The rightward shift across America last night is heartbreaking. Democrats have a long road ahead, but the work is more vital than ever and our commitment will not waver. Nonetheless, I have called Mr. Hochman and wish him the best as Los Angeles County's next District Attorney.
I'm deeply proud of what we've accomplished over the past four years and grateful to the communities who have been and will always be the heart of criminal justice reform."
Gascón came into office promising to turn back the country's history of lock 'em up law enforcement. Instead, he ended case bail, decline to seek the death penalty, and halted the use of sentencing enhancements. Opponents launched two recall attempts, both of which failed to qualify for the ballot.
At the watch party, Hochman told reporters, "Safety is a crossover issue. Whether you're on the left or the right, whether you're back, white, Latino, Asian, people want to be safe again in this community. They want the police to actually do a very good job at their job." In 2022, Hochman unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for attorney general and lost to Rob Bonta.
This time around, he recast himself as a moderate independent who believes in tougher penalties for crimes without taking the department too far to the right. His wife, Vivienne Villa, said, "My husband is and always has been a centrist. He's not a far-right extremist because he was once a Republican. Nathan has always believed that criminal justice reform and public safety are not mutually exclusive."
Hochman said that while the passing of Proposition 36 will give DAs more tools to do their jobs, rising crime in the county is squarely on Gascón's refusal to enforce state laws that are already on the books.
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