Nathan Hochman, who campaigned for district attorney espousing a “hard middle approach” to battling crime and scored a resounding victory over progressive incumbent George Gascón in last month’s election, took the oath of office this week as L.A. County’s 44th head prosecutor.
The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor — who ran as an independent after seeking the state attorney general’s office as a Republican in 2022 – was sworn in at noon Tuesday in a ceremony outside the Hall of Justice, with former GOP Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger administering the oath.
Hochman will carry what amounts to a mandate from L.A. County voters to get tougher on crime — with the latest numbers giving him more than 1.9 million votes, or just under 60 percent, compared to Gascón’s 1.3 million votes. Gascón conceded defeat on Nov. 6, one day after Election Day.
Gascón was swept into office four years ago on a progressive platform — but he became a target of critics, prominently Hochman, who accused him of being soft on crime as high-profile robberies, assaults and killings grabbed headlines.
Gascón defended his record, denying that his policies led to an increase in crime and insisting that statistics show actual drops in many categories. But Hochman disputed those claims.
“We’ll go back to just two things — the facts and the law,” Hochman told his supporters on Election Night in Beverly Hills, where he grew up.
Even while the votes were still being tallied on election night, Hochman told his backers that “the voices of the residents of L.A. County have been heard and they’re saying enough is enough of George Gascón’s policies and they look forward to a safer future.”
The Association of Deputy District Attorneys, which represents county prosecutors, hailed Hochman’s victory as a “pivotal moment in the fight to return balance and accountability to the justice system and to prioritize public safety in a county that has seen a dangerous decline under the failed leadership of George Gascón.”
During a pre-election debate hosted by KNX News and the Los Angeles Times, Gascón highlighted his progressive policies — several of which he implemented once he took office in 2020 — such as limiting extra-long sentences for people accused of using a gun or being a gang member, prosecutions of juveniles as adults and no longer seeking the death penalty, though he later revised some of his policies.
But Hochman said such policies led to an increase in crime across the county, and that he would revoke several of Gascón’s directives.
Hochman had touted his “hard middle approach,” stating it will not lead to mass incarceration but rather that cases would be reviewed individually and punishment meted out proportionally for the crime committed.
According to the California Department of Justice, violent crime is up about 8 percent from 2019 to 2023 countywide, though in Los Angeles violent crime decreased by about 6 percent.
“We should not be worse than any other D.A.’s office out there. The L.A. County D.A.’s Office used to be the gold standard by which all other D.A.’s offices had measured,” Hochman said.
Gascón insisted that his office had been holding criminals accountable for their crimes, including retail and residential theft. However, Hochman pointed to high-profile robberies of homes, 7-Eleven stores, retail and other local businesses that he said have led to increased concerns from residents and business owners over public safety.
