Nathan Hochman won over soft-on-crime incumbent George Gascón in the Los Angeles County district attorney race, where skyrocketing crime topped voters’ concerns.
Hochman, an ex-federal prosecutor, ran as a centrist, opposing both mass incarceration and Gascón’s policies, which he claimed spiked crime and ignored consequences for young offenders.
“The voters of Los Angeles County have spoken and have said enough is enough of D.A. Gascón’s pro-criminal extreme policies; they look forward to a safer future,” Hochman announced on Wednesday. “As D.A., I look forward to representing all of the people, whether they voted for me or not, since their safety will be my responsibility.”
Hochman highlighted escalating violence in the county during debates, a trend seen both statewide and nationally. Local police unions, despite Gascón’s past as an officer, backed Hochman.
The prosecutors’ union described Hochman’s victory as a “pivotal moment in the fight to return balance and accountability to the justice system.”
In another pivotal moment for justice, Californians approved a measure on Tuesday for tougher penalties on retail crimes like shoplifting.
Proposition 36 allows repeat offenders to face felony charges, partially rolling back 2014 laws that eased sentences for nonviolent crimes.
Crimes involving drugs like fentanyl will also face stricter punishments under this measure. It gained 70.6% support with nearly 7.6 million votes counted.
A study by the Public Policy Institute of California noted an increase in shoplifting from 2021 to 2022 in large cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Governor Gavin Newsom opposed the initiative, stating, “Prop 36 takes us back to the 1980s, mass incarceration — it promotes a promise that can’t be delivered.”
