With concerns over public safety an ever-present topic in Los Angeles County, the 2024 election for the county’s District Attorney position will prove to be pivotal.
The race between incumbent George Gascón and challenger Nathan Hochman has been brewing since the March 5 nonpartisan primary, where Gascón received 24.4% of the vote and Hochman beat out eight other hopefuls with 16.4%. Hochman ramped up his campaign Sept. 5 with a fundraising soiree at the northern tip of the city. The beachside locale served as a rallying cry for the challenger, who tasked the crowd of roughly 75 to "turn into 75,000" by spreading his message on social media channels.
Hochman, a criminal defense attorney, talked about why the candidate should be in charge of the DA position’s massive budget and resources, stating he will fight for the "three major stakeholders" alongside the general public. These stakeholders, he noted, were prosecutors, law enforcement and victims of crimes.
The candidate also talked of general fear the public has of being robbed or having their home broken into, stating that the factor causes longtime Angelinos to leave, due in part to Gascón’s policies. The incumbent assumed office in 2020 after serving as San Francisco District Attorney from 2011-2019, another sticking point for the challenger.
"I am not going to have a guy come in from San Francisco, basically destroy the public safety in San Francisco, come to LA, try to destroy our public safety, and get me, my wife, my kids, my family, my neighbors or anybody in my community to leave," Hochman said. "Because that has been one of the reactions that people have to their public safety being endangered."
Two of the driving forces in the election are the continued conversations over Prop 36 and sentencing enhancements. Prop 36 would recall Prop 47, co-authored by Gascón, which reclassified certain crimes as misdemeanors. While the proposition still has its supporters, noting reduced recidivism and reducing prison population, Hochman said reclassifying shoplifting has "put a license to steal sign" on stores like 7-11.
Gascón’s policy on not adding sentencing enhancements like gun or gang-related crimes, he told LAist, is meant to help "people in low-income communities of color" that were "disproportionately" harmed by this. Hochman countered on Thursday by stating the policy actively encourages gang recruitment and activity, particularly from teenagers set up to take a fall.
As the race draws closer to Nov. 5, both candidates have racked up an impressive number of endorsements. Gascón has received support from the L.A. County Federation of Labor AFL-CIO, Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, L.A. County Democratic Party, the Los Angeles Times, and local endorsement from Santa Monica City Councilmember Gleam Davis.
Hochman gained support from a host of police officers associations and other first responder organizations, as well as six of the other former candidates for DA. Locally, Vice Mayor Lana Negrete and Councilmember Christine Parra have also endorsed the challenger.
