Tough-on-crime Los Angeles District Attorney 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-Independent, defeated incumbent progressive prosecutor George Gascón by a 20-point margin.
Gascón was considered by many voters to be soft 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 both mass incarceration and the “public safety failure” of Gascón’s liberal policies, which Hochman said led to increased crime and a lack of consequences for juvenile offenders.
He also previously served as the president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and accused Gascón of “catastrophic incompetence” on the campaign trail and vowed to restore order and common sense.
While in office, Gascón survived two recall attempts as voters voiced concern over his policies.
He also co-authored the infamous Proposition 47, a 2014 voter-approved measure that downgraded most thefts from felonies to misdemeanors if the amount stolen were under $950, and reclassified some felony drug offenses as misdemeanors.
Despite political differences between voters, public safety is a crossover issue, said 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 said.
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