As Nathan Hochman is inaugurated as Los Angeles’ district attorney on Tuesday, having secured a victory over incumbent George Gascón by almost 20 points, the seasoned criminal defense lawyer and former federal prosecutor will don a suit adorned with a yellow ribbon.
“This serves as a daily reminder about this issue for me,” Hochman shared with Jewish Insider in a recent interview. “The moment you stop considering the hostages in Gaza is the moment you begin to focus on other things, and ultimately, they will be overlooked.”
This tribute to the hostages still being held by Hamas 14 months after the terror attacks in Israel on October 7 reflects Hochman’s genuine concern, rooted in his upbringing within the Los Angeles Jewish community. It also underscores the unexpected yet significant influence of the Gaza conflict on this electoral campaign. After many months marked by disruptive anti-Israel demonstrations—ranging from activists blockading the busy 405 freeway to aggressive protests outside a synagogue in Beverly Hills—Hochman found it straightforward to appeal to Jewish voters.
“If you aim to block a freeway, take over an airport, vandalize a university campus to the detriment of students’ education, or assail Jews outside a synagogue in the Pico-Robertson area, you will face accountability,” Hochman emphasized.
Hochman aimed to convey to voters that Gascón, a self-identified progressive prosecutor elected in 2020 amid an upsurge of anti-police sentiment from the left, was disconnected from the pressing concerns of everyday Angelenos. This message resonated with those disturbed by the growing perception of crime in Los Angeles County, which has a population exceeding nine million.
“Public safety will likely be the crucial issue in 2024, a conclusion I’ve drawn from discussions with literally thousands of individuals across the political spectrum over the past year and a half,” Hochman remarked.
His rise to the L.A. County DA’s office, with nearly 1,000 attorneys on staff, marks a remarkable political comeback for Hochman, who just two years ago lost a bid for California attorney general by a considerable margin. Although he ran as a Republican in that race, he now identifies himself as a centrist. (The role of district attorney is a nonpartisan position.)
The fact that a candidate who recently campaigned statewide as a Republican has now triumphed over a progressive in deeply Democratic Los Angeles indicates a fatigue among L.A. voters regarding the Democratic Party’s sharp leftward shift since 2020. Hochman does not label himself a conservative and acknowledges some of the systemic issues identified by his predecessor. However, he insists on the necessity of a more moderate approach.
“Gascón highlighted several legitimate issues within the system that remain unresolved, such as explicit or implicit racism, matters concerning police accountability, and the exoneration of factually innocent individuals incarcerated,” Hochman stated. “I believe it’s possible to enact genuine and effective criminal justice reform while prioritizing public safety throughout the process. He attempted to implement numerous policies that deprioritized public safety.”
Public safety is critically important to Jewish Angelenos, especially following last year’s October 7 attacks in Israel. During the campaign, Hochman criticized Gascón for failing to address escalating antisemitism.
“In 2024, the Jewish community united in a deeply significant manner to not only elect an exemplary Jewish prosecutor, Nathan Hochman, but also to reject the misguided policies of George Gascón over the past four years,” commented Sam Yebri, a lawyer and Jewish community activist in L.A. who supported Hochman’s campaign. “Nathan was forthright about the importance of combating antisemitism and standing with Israel.”
When an anti-Israel demonstration outside a Pico-Robertson synagogue escalated into violence in July, which drew denunciations from Mayor Karen Bass and President Joe Biden, Hochman criticized Gascón as “missing in action” for not even acknowledging the violence.
“We felt that Gascón was not very open to or attuned to the Jewish community of Los Angeles,” remarked Rabbi Noah Farkas, president and CEO of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, which does not endorse specific political candidates. “From the perspective of the Jewish community, it’s evident that Hochman will be more attentive and responsive, actively engaging when we seek meetings.”
Hochman served as an assistant U.S. attorney in L.A. during the 1990s and worked as an assistant attorney general in the tax division at the U.S. Department of Justice under President George W. Bush. From 2011 to 2016, he was a member of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. He is the first criminal defense attorney to be elected DA in Los Angeles.
Upon taking office, his first priority will be establishing task forces to tackle the five key issues he wants to address as DA: fentanyl enforcement, human trafficking, the “homeless situation,” organized retail theft, and residential burglaries. He contends that in order to deter potential criminals, existing laws must be enforced—and he has pledged to reverse some of Gascón’s policies that reduced sentences for various offenses, including hate crimes, and halted prosecutions for certain low-level crimes entirely.
“If I genuinely believe my goal is to deter crime, people must understand the nature of the offenses they might commit and the repercussions of those actions,” Hochman stated. He believes this philosophy is equally relevant for combating antisemitism and hate crimes in general: not solely enforcement, but also education. “Antisemitism is complex; if it were simple, it would have been eradicated thousands of years ago. It necessitates a blend of enforcement and education.”
Hochman, who was raised in L.A., absorbed Jewish values from his parents, both of whom served as presidents of the L.A. Jewish federation at different times. An award at the federation is named in memory of his late father, Bruce, a tax attorney with a yeshiva background.
“He deeply believed that the three foundational principles of Judaism—Torah, prayer, and good deeds—were essential. He emphasized the last one, good deeds,” explained Hochman, referring to teachings from the ancient Jewish text Pirkei Avot, Ethics of Our Fathers.
He articulated two additional lessons he learned from his parents: “Tzedakah is not merely charity; it truly embodies justice. The premise is that by performing charitable acts, you contribute to societal justice,” said Hochman. “Another concept is tikkun olam, which embodies the obligation—not a mere option—to repair the world, commencing with your local community.”
