Nathan Hochman sworn in as LA County DA

LOS ANGELES - Nathan Hochman, who campaigned for district attorney while espousing a "hard middle approach" to battling crime and scored a resounding victory over progressive incumbent George Gascón in last month's election, was sworn in Tuesday as Los Angeles County's 44th district attorney. 

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Nathan Hochman wins race for LA County DA, beating incumbent George Gascón

The 61-year-old former federal prosecutor assumed control of the office in a ceremony outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, with former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger administering the oath.

"I am deeply honored for the opportunity of a lifetime ... to lead the finest District Attorney's Office in the nation — the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office," Hochman said. "Now to paraphrase Governor Schwarzenegger from many years ago, we are not here today as Democrats, Independents or Republicans. ... We are here collectively as Angelenos who represent the 10 million clients of the District Attorney's Office who are looking to live in a county where safety is prioritized, laws are followed, those who break them are held accountable and the process to get there is fair, impartial, ethical and effective."

"We finally have a District Attorney that is an eagle," Schwarzenegger told FOX 11. "A low altitude bird is a turkey, and we just got rid of one."

Schwarzenegger said crime throughout the last four years in Los Angeles County angered him and voters. Hochman beat incumbent George Gascon by almost 20 percentage points in November’s election.

"I think it’s inexcusable all of those crimes were brushed under the table," said Schwarzenegger. "Now, people will feel the consequences of crime."

Also in attendance Monday was former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey.  Lacey was DA from 2012-2020, before losing to Gascón in the 2020 election.

"L.A. has really been suffering these last four years with crime," said Lacey. "If you come in with change and residents feel unsafe, like I have felt unsafe these last 4 years, then you’re going to be a short-timer."

Hochman said he will be the first district attorney to bring the perspectives of having been a federal prosecutor, an assistant attorney general, a Los Angeles City Ethics Commission president and a defense attorney.

He said he has spoken to thousands of residents throughout Los Angeles County over the past 1 1/2 years and found that "one thing has been unifying these folks, and probably just one thing -- their frustration with their safety, the fact that they basically have the notion of fear enter into their calculations of their daily existence."

"That stops here on day one," he said. "... We begin to get our house of safety in order starting today."

Hochman said he rejects "extreme policies on both ends," and vowed to put an end to "blanket policies" that he referred to as "inherently lazy."

"No longer will gang members get a free pass from the gang enhancement when they commit these violent crimes," the new district attorney said. "We will eliminate blanket extreme policies that prevented prosecutors from going with victims' families who had lost a son, a daughter, a relative to a murder when that murderer was before a parole board seeking to get out of prison early. Those policies were heartless and they are eliminated starting today."

Hochman will carry what amounts to a mandate from L.A. County voters to get tougher on crime -- with the latest numbers giving him more than 1.9 million votes, or just under 60%, compared to Gascón's 1.3 million votes. Gascón conceded defeat on Nov. 6, one day after Election Day.

Gascón was swept into office four years ago on a progressive platform - - but he became a target of critics, prominently Hochman, who accused him of being soft on crime as high-profile robberies, assaults and killings grabbed headlines.

Gascón defended his record, denying that his policies led to an increase in crime and insisting that statistics show actual drops in many categories. But Hochman disputed those claims.

"We'll go back to just two things -- the facts and the law," Hochman told his supporters on Election Night in Beverly Hills, where he grew up.

Even while the votes were still being tallied on election night, Hochman told his backers that "the voices of the residents of L.A. County have been heard and they're saying enough is enough of George Gascón's policies and they look forward to a safer future."

The Association of Deputy District Attorneys, which represents county prosecutors, hailed Hochman's victory as a "pivotal moment in the fight to return balance and accountability to the justice system and to prioritize public safety in a county that has seen a dangerous decline under the failed leadership of George Gascón."

During a pre-election debate, Gascón highlighted his progressive policies -- several of which he implemented once he took office in 2020 -- such as limiting extra-long sentences for people accused of using a gun or being a gang member, prosecutions of juveniles as adults and no longer seeking the death penalty, though he later revised some of his policies.

But Hochman said such policies led to an increase in crime across the county, and that he would revoke several of Gascón's directives.

Hochman had touted his "hard middle approach," stating it will not lead to mass incarceration but rather that cases would be reviewed individually and punishment meted out proportionally for the crime committed.

According to the California Department of Justice, violent crime is up about 8% from 2019 to 2023 countywide, though in Los Angeles violent crime decreased by about 6%.

"We should not be worse than any other D.A.'s office out there. The L.A. County D.A.'s Office used to be the gold standard by which all other D.A.'s offices had measured," Hochman said.

Gascón insisted that his office had been holding criminals accountable for their crimes, including retail and residential theft. However, Hochman pointed to high-profile robberies of homes, 7-Eleven stores, retail and other local businesses that he said have led to increased concerns from residents and business owners over public safety.

"We need to send a very strong message of enforcement, accountability and ultimately deterrent to those residential burglaries, and if they're coming, for instance, (from) overseas, from Chile or from Venezuela, we have to work with the federal government," Hochman said.

Gascón survived two attempts to recall him, and during his tenure was also accused by 20 prosecutors of workplace retaliation.

Hochman said morale in the D.A.'s office is at a "all-time low," accusing Gascón of creating "a dysfunctional office."

During his campaign, Hochman touted what he calls his "Blueprint for Justice" that he said would "restore safety and justice to our county."

As part of that blueprint, Hochman vowed to "restore the purpose of the District Attorney's Office to fairly, effectively, and vigorously prosecute those who break laws in Los Angeles County based on the evidence and the law."

Hochman said he would also "restore the integrity and independence of the district attorney by not making decisions based on a party affiliation or political ideology but solely on the facts and the law."

One of Hochman's early high-profile cases will involve Erik and Lyle Menendez, who are serving life sentences without parole for the 1989 shotgun slayings of their parents in their Beverly Hills mansion. The brothers are waiting for a decision on their bid for release based on what their attorneys say is new evidence that they were sexually abused by their father.

In the run-up to the election, Gascón announced that he supported the resentencing of the brothers, but a judge last week delayed a decision on the matter until January, giving Hochman time to review the case.

The Menendez brothers' defense team submitted papers to Gov. Gavin Newsom requesting clemency, but the governor said he would not make any decision on the request until Hochman has a chance to review the nearly 35-year- old case.

"The governor respects the role of the district attorney in ensuring justice is served and recognizes that voters have entrusted District Attorney-elect Hochman to carry out this responsibility," a statement from the governor's office said.

"The governor will defer to the DA-elect's review and analysis of the Menendez case prior to making any clemency decisions."