Morning has come again in the City of Angels.
Nathan Hockman, who served as assistant attorney general under President George W. Bush, ousted Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon last week in a landslide victory.
Mr. Hochman, a registered independent, received 61% of the vote, but the far-left prosecutor elected in 2020 received a sluggish 39%. He is scheduled to take office on December 2nd.
It's a quick comeback for the wannabe hometown hero, who graduated from Beverly Hills High School and earned a law degree from Stanford University. He ran as a Republican for California attorney general in 2022, but lost to Democrat Rob Bonta.
“There's not a lot of consensus these days, but we all agree that the first thing we expect from our government is safety,” he said in an interview with the Post.
After all, increased crime and lack of support from the public prosecutors unionadding fuel to the fire of his elimination. The Los Angeles Police Department's March report shows violent crime has increased by nearly 3 percent over the past year, and robberies have increased by a staggering 9.5 percent. ABC 7 Los Angeles.
His victory coincided with the passage of Proposition 36, which makes certain crimes, such as some thefts and drug-related offenses, felonies rather than misdemeanors. Hochman told the Post that the overwhelming support for the proposal will make his job easier when he takes office next month.
“With a third conviction, what was previously just a misdemeanor can now become a felony,” he said.
“A court can order someone to go to state prison, they can sentence someone to state prison. The same is true in drug-using areas. For serious drug users, a third conviction can now result in mandatory treatment, and a fourth conviction could result in state prison. “I use that term intentionally, but it provides additional tools to really strengthen penalties and resources to go after people addicted to fentanyl,” he added. .
On his first day, the incoming district attorney said he would take a “strong middle” approach and quickly lift certain restrictions that he said would negatively impact the ability of victims and prosecutors to do their jobs under the outgoing district attorney. .
“The DA's office has a comprehensive policy of not prosecuting juveniles under 18 for misdemeanors, including misdemeanor theft of just under $950. We are eliminating that prohibition.” said prosecutors, adding that it would repeal a prohibition on adding gang and firearm enhancement charges to crimes.
LAist reported in 2021 that these enhancements were unsuccessful in a case prosecuted by Gascón's office.
“Prosecution authorities had prohibited the victim's family from accompanying them to the hearing if they were confronting the murderer of a son, daughter, or parent,” he added.
“For decades, prosecutors have accompanied victims' families because they have access to parole board information and are able to make the best case on behalf of victim families. I will repeal the ban that Mr. Gascon imposed on his first day in office and allow prosecutors to once again become advocates for victims in the system.”
Hochman also told the Post that he wants his office to be an important partner in the community in addressing the region's homelessness crisis. As of this year, more than 75,000 people are considered homeless in Los Angeles per county. data.
“What's happened is that when law enforcement officers go into homeless areas, they're basically telling people who are wondering why they're not doing their job that the police have our hands tied. “That's what I'm saying,” Hochman said.
“So I'm going to take the hands off law enforcement officers and let them actually do their jobs. But again, the ultimate approach is to see if we can fill the prisons to breaking point. It's not. It's more of a failure of the criminal justice system. The approach is whether we can deter this criminal behavior in the first place.”
It is the most populous county in the United States, with approximately 10 million people calling it home. But the county, like California, is still grappling with a mass exodus of residents and a major crisis in public perception of crime.
Hochman's election could be a turning point. If his crime-reduction strategy works, the City of Angels could become even more angelic in the coming years.
