Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. George Gascón squared off by way of Zoom on Wednesday with Nathan Hochman, his challenger within the November election, with the 2 candidates exchanging pointed however well mannered blows of their first head-to-head encounter of the race.
The digital discussion board was marked by technical glitches, rapid-fire switches between subjects, and assaults by each candidates. Gascón defended his prosecutorial file whereas laying out a progressive imaginative and prescient for an additional 4 years in workplace. Hochman, in flip, tried to pitch himself because the tougher-on-crime various.
A lightning rod of controversy since taking workplace 4 years in the past on a platform of prison justice reform, Gascón has since rolled again a few of his boldest insurance policies within the face of withering criticism. However he mentioned he nonetheless prioritizes decreasing the incarceration charge whereas additionally holding lawbreakers accountable and protecting crime low.
“We have evolved,” Gascón mentioned, noting that the D.A.’s workplace underneath his management has prosecuted “over 100,000 serious and violent crimes.”
Citing one instance, he pointed to his stance on sentencing enhancements, which may prolong jail phrases for sure crimes. Gascón initially halted using most enhancements, together with for hate crimes, however mentioned: “Very early on there were concerns about hate crime allegations, and we brought those [enhancements] back in.”
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, repeatedly claimed that his opponent was misrepresenting info, and described the district lawyer as presiding over “extreme policies” that go away Angelenos much less secure.
“The choice for D.A. could not have more stark contrast,” Hochman mentioned. “You have tried a social experiment with public safety,” he mentioned later, “and it has failed and it is time to end it.”
Billed as a candidate discussion board, the occasion was placed on by Jewish Federation Los Angeles and moderated by Alex Cohen, a political journalist at Spectrum Information 1. It started practically 10 minutes late amid technical difficulties, and the candidates struggled with the mute button and strictly imposed cut-off dates on their responses to questions.
Hochman sat in entrance of an antiseptic white background, well-lit in a pressed darkish go well with and close-trimmed coif. Gascón was brightly backlit and had knickknacks and a potted plant behind him as he spoke.
Each males picked and selected info and knowledge that helped make their respective instances to voters. Hochman highlighted figures printed by the California Division of Justice that present violent crimes in L.A. County rose 12.1% between 2020 and 2023. Property crimes have additionally elevated, he mentioned.
“Don’t let Gascón gaslight you into believing crime is down when the California DOJ and your own personal experiences show [the opposite],” Hochman mentioned.
The state Justice Division knowledge present that whereas rapes fell between 2020 and 2023, homicides remained regular within the county. However Gascón pointed to Los Angeles police statistics that present that citywide, homicides fell 17% from 2022 to 2023.
Hochman referred to as the incumbent out for referencing metropolis statistics whereas the workplace’s purview is the county. He additionally lambasted the district lawyer over incidents that occurred throughout the metropolis of L.A. — which has its personal metropolis lawyer — together with protests, intimidation and violence on campuses and out of doors a synagogue.
Gascón responded to a barrage of such Hochman assaults by calmly stating that his opponent “struggles with the truth. Tonight he fails to understand the role of the D.A.”
On the heels of Tuesday’s broadly considered presidential debate between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, Gascón made one final dig at his opponent, who’s now an impartial however beforehand ran for state lawyer normal as a Republican.
“Tonight we heard another Trumpian political fearmonger,” he mentioned. “You’ve now heard two very different visions of the future of our community.”
