Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman has reiterated his commitment to cracking down on crime, promising to hold lawbreakers “fully accountable for their illegal actions.”
In a video posted Sunday on X, Hochman stood at the border of Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties, stating, “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.”
“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 added.
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, campaigned as a “hard middle candidate” with a tougher-on-crime stance than the liberal policies that have shaped Los Angeles in recent years. He defeated incumbent George Gascon by a 20-point margin in an election widely seen as a referendum on Gascon’s criminal justice reforms.
Gascon, known for his progressive approach, co-authored Proposition 47, a 2014 measure that reclassified many thefts under $950 from felonies to misdemeanors. Hochman had previously accused him of “catastrophic incompetence.”
Hochman has emphasized that liberal, independent, and conservative residents of the city all agree that the district attorney must prioritize public safety and adopt policies that “will hold criminals accountable for their actions in a smart and proportional manner.”
In March, Hochman announced that his office would begin seeking the death penalty in certain cases, challenging California’s ongoing statewide moratorium on capital punishment. He said the new policy would allow prosecutors the option to pursue the death penalty once again.
