Incumbent Los Angeles Democratic District Attorney George Gascón lost his reelection bid to independent candidate Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor.
Ordinary prosecutors who opposed Gascón's candidacy and are involved in a legal battle have welcomed their new boss as a return to normalcy after a tumultuous four years that saw a rise in violent crime and controversial top-down directives. I am doing it. There were approximately 24 whistleblower retaliation lawsuits against outgoing prosecutors.
Mr. Gascón survived two recall attempts during his grueling tenure, but was unable to overcome a challenge from Mr. Hochman, a former assistant U.S. attorney general with decades of legal experience.
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October 10, 2024, in Los Angeles, District Attorney candidate Nathan Hockman criticizes Los Angeles County Attorney George Gascon for his handling of charges against singer Marilyn Manson, alongside actress Esme Bianco at a press conference. . (Michael Blackshear/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“The crime is illegal again,” said Shea Sanna, the deputy district attorney who is prosecuting Gascón on retaliation charges. He was responsible for the prosecution of convicted murderer and child molester James “Hannah” Tubbs, one of Gascon's most criticized failures.
Gascón, who treated Tubbs as a juvenile when he was 26 and had already served time in an adult prison, returned to prison after pleading guilty to killing his friend over $100.
After Sanna protested Tubbs' lenient treatment, he says he was demoted, abused and harassed, according to the retaliation lawsuit.
“We have new prosecutors who are focused on fighting crime instead of fighting their own prosecutors,” Sana told FOX News Digital. “Mr. Hochman's focus is on protecting law-abiding citizens, not murderers and rapists.”
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Deputy District Attorney Shea Sanna (right) during a hearing in California's Antelope Valley Juvenile Court on January 27, 2022. James “Hannah” Tubbs, top left, began to identify as a woman after learning that she had been arrested in Los Angeles for sexually abusing a young girl. At the age of 26, he was charged in juvenile court. He was sent to a men's prison on an unrelated murder charge. (Dave Buchan, LASD, Jason Almond/Los Angeles Times, via Getty Images)
“It's time for district attorneys to get back to their elected jobs: upholding and enforcing the laws, prosecuting crimes, supporting victims, and doing the right thing regardless of political affiliation,” Deputy District Attorneys said. said Jonathan Hatami. Because of Gascón's work, he narrowly missed out in the primary and supported Hochman.
“Gascón losing, really devastated, had nothing to do with politics,” he told Fox News Digital. “It had everything to do with the fact that he actually refused to do the district attorney's job. For Angelenos, this wasn't a national issue. It was a personal issue. Everyone has the right to public safety, especially from prosecutors.”
Gascon lost. His colleague, Alameda County's far-left district attorney Pamela Price, was safely recalled. And California voters overwhelmingly passed Proposition 36. The proposal is a criminal justice referendum that repeals the unpopular decriminalization policy that Gascón and Price supported in the previously passed Proposition 47.
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Voters on Tuesday rejected Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price and Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, following years of backlash over what critics called left-wing crime relief policies. (Pamela Price/Instagram)
Jason Lustig, another deputy district attorney who prosecuted Gascón, said, “After four years as a guinea pig in a perverse social experiment, Los Angeles County residents have decided that their vote for district attorney is no different from any other decision on their ballot. “I have clearly learned from bitter experience that this is more important than anything else.” on suspicion of retaliation.
“I am confident that Nathan Hockman will restore balance, equity and structure to this organization to which I and hundreds of my colleagues have dedicated our professional lives.”
“Mr. Gascon's social experiment is over. Voters have overwhelmingly rejected Georges Gascon and his anti-crime policies.”
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Mr. Khatami, Mr. Sanna, Mr. Lustig and others are about 20 Los Angeles prosecutors who have taken their outgoing boss to court on charges of retaliation, discrimination, and that his chain of command passed potentially illegal instructions to prosecutors. It is one of the names.
Mr. Gascón's own aides found themselves in a different courtroom, a crime-type courtroom, rather than the side where prosecutors usually stand.
The state attorney general's office has charged Gascon No. 3, Deanna Teran, with a felony for allegedly misusing confidential law enforcement data. His number two, Lt. Joseph Yniguez, appeared on a body camera video claiming he was handcuffed after police arrested his fiancée on suspicion of drunk driving after their 2021 wedding.
Joseph Yniguez (left) and George Gascón speak at an event calling for prison reform on November 9, 2019 in Pasadena, California. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images, Patrice Cullors)
“Mr. Gascón's reign of terror in Los Angeles extended far beyond prosecutors,” said Tatiana Chahoian, another deputy prosecutor who filed the retaliation lawsuit. “Not only did LA County residents oust him, they also passed Proposition 36, which increases penalties for certain crimes. They made their voices heard loud and clear. Enough is enough.”
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She welcomed the change in leadership but said her case and others like it will continue to move forward.
“He permanently damaged her career, forced her into early retirement, and ruined the morale and culture of her office,” she told Fox News Digital. “It's going to take a long time to repair this. Culture doesn't change overnight.”
Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Tatiana Chahoian has fallen on hard times after blowing the whistle on a memo about how to prosecute street racing and street “takeover” cases in the county in an interview with FOX 11 Los Angeles. (FOX11 Los Angeles)
Mr. Hochman, a lifelong Los Angeles resident and former chairman of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, condemned Mr. Gascon's “catastrophic incompetence” in his campaign and vowed to restore order and common sense.
Gascón is a Cuban expatriate whose family fled communism in 1967, according to his campaign website. After dropping out of high school, he joined the Army and then the Los Angeles Police Department. He became chief of police in Mesa, Arizona, and San Francisco.
He later became San Francisco District Attorney, replacing Kamala Harris when she became California Attorney General.
He served two terms there pursuing left-wing policies before winning the 2020 Los Angeles election. Critics have often pointed out that he has never tried a case in court.
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“Gascon, your reign over LA is finally over,” Hatami said. “Please never run for office again.”
