Incumbent George Gascón and Nathan Hochman are running in the general election for Los Angeles County District Attorney on Nov. 5, 2024. Gascón and Hochman were the top two finishers in the nonpartisan primary, receiving 24.4% and 16.4% of the vote, respectively. The two advanced to a general election because neither won more than 50% of the vote.
According to LAist, the election is “expected to be closely watched across the country as a barometer of how the public is feeling about criminal justice reforms amid an increase in property crime. Property crime is up 17.4% in the city of L.A. so far this year compared to two years ago…Violent crime is down 1.3% year to date from two years ago.”
Although the election is nonpartisan, Gascón is a registered Democrat 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 says his policies have made county residents safer and he will 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.” Gascón was the San Francisco District Attorney for eight years and worked as chief of police in San Francisco and in Mesa, Arizona.
Hochman is a defense attorney and former federal prosecutor. Hochman says Gascón has put his policies ahead of public safety and that Hochman will prioritize public safety and victims’ rights over reducing the length of sentences. Hochman says Gascón is responsible for “nine of the most pro-criminal blanket policies in DA history.” Hochman says his public and private legal experience will help him change the direction of the district attorney’s office. Hochman says he will avoid both Gascón’s policies and policies centered on expanding incarceration in favor of what he describes as “the hard middle, which means you look at each individual case, the defendant, the crime committed, and the impact on the victim to determine who the true threats to our safety are, who needs to be behind bars.”
Local political observers say Hochman, who ran for attorney general as a Republican in 2022, faces a disadvantage in Los Angeles County, where Democrats have been favored in recent elections. The county voted for Joe Biden (D) over Donald Trump (R) 71%–27% in 2020 and for Rob Bonta (D) over Hochman 67%–33% in the 2022 attorney general election. The last Republican elected Los Angeles County District Attorney was Steve Cooley (R) in 2008.
