LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� The for Los Angeles County, Nathan Hochman, said in an interview with The Associated Press that his first task upon taking office is to eliminate the 鈥減ro-criminal blanket policies鈥� of one of California鈥檚 most high-profile progressive prosecutors, George Gasc贸n.
That means bringing back gang-related sentencing enhancements, allowing prosecutors to file juvenile charges more freely, and having prosecutors attend parole hearings with victims鈥� families again, where they can help argue against the release of convicts, Hochman said.
The former Republican-turned-independent also plans to return to prosecuting low-level nonviolent crimes that he said the current district attorney has not, such as criminal threats, trespassing, disturbing the peace and loitering, which often involve those experiencing homelessness.
Anyone who breaks the law will receive 鈥減roportional鈥� consequences 鈥� no more 鈥済et out of jail free鈥� cards, Hochman said in the interview Wednesday.
At the same time, he wants to look at solutions that don鈥檛 necessarily involve locking criminals up, such as court-mandated drug treatment, community service, and restitution.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a culture of lawlessness鈥� that has been 鈥減erpetrated鈥� by Gasc贸n's office, Hochman said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to reverse that,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou basically say, 鈥楬ere are the lines in our society, the lines are the laws, I鈥檓 going to consistently, fairly and impartially enforce them and here the real consequences on the other side. So if you want to, test me. If you think I鈥檓 bluffing, I鈥檓 not bluffing.鈥欌��
Hochman says he doesn't want to simply fill up prisons again.
鈥淭his is my message to people who believe in criminal justice reform: I believe in it as well,鈥� Hochman said. 鈥淭he difference between myself and my predecessor is it won鈥檛 be a bunch of talk.鈥�
Hochman's victory Nov. 5 to become top prosecutor in the nation鈥檚 most populous county of 10 million people reflected in California with progressive district attorneys who have pushed criminal justice reform.
Gasc贸n, a former San Francisco police chief, was elected in 2020 during the height of the Black Lives Matter movement following the police killing of George Floyd in Minnesota as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors elected nationwide.
He brought several controversial changes to the district attorney's office that were seen by critics as soft on crime, such as ending cash bail and not allowing prosecutors to charge juveniles as adults or ask for sentencing enhancements. He also recently addressed the case of , saying he would for the brothers who received life sentences for the shotgun killings of their parents in their Beverly Hills home in 1989. Hochman, who could influence the Menendez case, said he could not comment on the resentencing recommendation until he has time to review confidential documents related to the brothers.
Gasc贸n defended his work, saying in his concession statement: 鈥淚鈥檓 deeply proud of what we鈥檝e accomplished over the past four years and grateful to the communities who have been and will always be the heart of criminal justice reform.鈥�
In 2014, Gasc贸n, then district attorney in San Francisco, co-authored a ballot measure passed by California voters that reclassified certain low-level drug and property crimes as misdemeanors instead of felonies. The measure was approved as California spent years struggling with a 2009 federal court order to reduce the population in the state鈥檚 overcrowded prisons.
But increased property crime in LA County, emphasized by viral videos of retail theft, as well as a worsening drug epidemic and increasing homelessness have fed a feeling of lawlessness and frustration that voters brought to the polls last week.
Prosecutors across the state are now armed with the passage this month of , a ballot measure that gives them the ability to charge shoplifting and drug possession crimes as felonies after a third offense.
Hochman declined to say whether his office plans to review current misdemeanor cases to elevate them to felonies but said the ultimate goal is deterrence. His goal is to return to a year like 2014, which he said was considered the region鈥檚 safest year in the last 50 years.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 predict that you鈥檙e going to have thousands of people now going to prison,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he goal is ultimately to deter them from committing the crimes in the first place. That鈥檚 when I鈥檒l know that I鈥檓 actually doing something that is effective in the criminal justice system, not by filling prisons to the breaking point. That鈥檚 a failure of the system.鈥�
With a little over two weeks before being sworn into office and taking over a department of more than 700 prosecutors, Hochman spent a recent morning this week in Hermosa Beach, a city south of Los Angeles, observing 鈥渉omeless court.鈥�
The program, which began in the coastal city of Redondo Beach, gives people experiencing homelessness the opportunity to avoid prosecution for nonviolent misdemeanor charges or municipal code violations in exchange for accepting judge-mandated services that can eventually lead to placement in housing.
鈥淚 thought it was a really innovative way to try and deal with low-level homeless crime ... and get the homeless individuals the help that they need to ensure that they actually won鈥檛 ever have to be back in court,鈥� Hochman said.
Jaimie Ding, The Associated Press
