Incumbent George Gascón and Nathan Hochman advanced from the nonpartisan primary for Los Angeles County District Attorney on March 5, 2024. The general election is on November 5, 2024. As of March 13, 2024, Gascón received 24.4% of the vote and Hochman received 16.4%.
Five candidates led in endorsements and local media attention: Gascón, Hochman, Jeff Chemerinsky, Jonathan Hatami, and Eric Siddall. Although the election was nonpartisan, Gascón, Chemerinsky, Hatami, and Siddall are registered Democrats and Hochman is an independent.
Gascón was elected in 2020 on a platform of not seeking the death penalty, limiting the imposition of cash bail for misdemeanors and nonviolent felonies, and “stopping the practice of imposing excessive sentences”. Gascón said his policies had made county residents safer and he would keep them in place if re-elected: “The reality is that having thoughtful policies that hold people accountable, as we have, sending people to prison when they need to be locked up, but recognizing that prison cannot be the only one answer is what public safety is all about.” Before his election as Los Angeles County District Attorney, Gascón served eight years as San Francisco District Attorney. He earlier served as chief of police in San Francisco and in Mesa, Arizona.
