What to Know
- Nathan Hochman will take office Los Angeles County’s 44th district attorney.
- Hochman defeated incumbent George Gascón in last month’s election.
- The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor ran as an independent and vowed to get tougher on crime.
Los Angeles County’s new top prosecutor will take office when he is sworn in Tuesday at a Hall of Justice ceremony in downtown LA.
Nathan Hochman defeated incumbent George Gascón in last month’s election. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will administer the oath, making Hochman the county’s 44th district attorney.
The swearing in is scheduled for noon.
The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor ran as an independent this time around after seeking the state attorney general’s office as a Republican in 2022.
Hochman will carry what amounts to a mandate from L.A. County voters to get tougher on crime. The latest ballot count showed Hochman with more than 1.9 million votes, or just under 60%, 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 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.
According to the California Department of Justice, violent crime is up about 8% from 2019 to 2023 countywide, though in Los Angeles violent crime decreased by about 6%.
Gascón survived two recall attempts.
In the weeks prior to Nov. 5 Election Day, Gascón announced that he supported the resentencing of the Menendez brothers, serving life sentences for the shotgun murders of their parents in 1989 at their Beverly Hills mansion. A judge last week delayed a decision on the matter until January, giving Hochman time to review the case.
