Powerful-on-crime Los Angeles District Legal professional Nathan Hochman is doubling down on border crossings and vowed that criminals will now be held “fully accountable for their illegal actions.”
Hochman, a Republican-turned-Unbiased, defeated incumbent progressive prosecutor George Gascón by a 20-point margin.
Gascón was thought of by many citizens to be gentle on crime.
“I am standing at the border between LA County and San Bernardino County where criminals used to enjoy crossing in the LA direction, thinking that little to no consequences would occur if they stole, robbed and engaged in criminal conduct,” Hochman shared in a video posted on his X account on Sunday.
“Times have changed! The fun is over. A new DA was elected. And criminals in LA County will now be prosecuted and held fully accountable for their illegal actions,” he continued.”
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and lifelong Los Angeles resident, campaigned as a “hard middle” candidate, rejecting each mass incarceration and the “public safety failure” of Gascón’s liberal insurance policies, which Hochman mentioned led to elevated crime and an absence of penalties for juvenile offenders.
He additionally beforehand served because the president of the Los Angeles Metropolis Ethics Fee and accused Gascón of “catastrophic incompetence” on the marketing campaign path and vowed to revive order and customary sense.
Whereas in workplace, Gascón survived two recall makes an attempt as voters voiced concern over his insurance policies.
He additionally co-authored the notorious Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the quantity stolen have been underneath $950, and reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors.
Regardless of political variations between voters, public security is a crossover problem, mentioned Hochman.
“I spoke to ultra-left liberals, independents and conservative Republicans. And it turns out that even though they don’t agree on much, they do agree that making sure that the district attorney prioritizes their safety and implements policies that will hold criminals accountable for their actions in a smart and proportional manner really matters,” he mentioned.
