Nathan Hochman

Nathan J. Hochman is the 44th District Attorney of Los Angeles County, sworn into office on December 3, 2024, after defeating incumbent George Gascon with nearly 60% of the vote ^[1]. A lifelong Angeleno, Hochman ran as a registered independent on a platform he described as the "hard middle" — rejecting both mass incarceration and the progressive policies of his predecessor ^[2].

Hochman's legal career spans both sides of the courtroom. He served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1990 to 1997, handling cases in the Criminal Division. In 2008, he was appointed Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice ^[1]. He also built a career in the private sector as a partner at several nationwide law firms, and previously served as President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission ^[2].

Upon taking office, Hochman reversed several of Gascon's progressive directives and announced task forces targeting homelessness, fentanyl poisoning, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crime, and residential burglaries ^[1]. In the Menendez brothers' case, Hochman's office initially sought to withdraw Gascon's resentencing recommendation but was overruled by Judge Michael Jesic, who ordered the hearings to proceed ^[3]. DA Hochman's office presented Comprehensive Risk Assessments labeling the brothers a "moderate" recidivism risk and argued against their release, citing "deceit" and "narcissistic tendencies" ^[4].

In his first year, Hochman's office increased public safety prosecutions, dismantled organized crime rings, busted the largest illegal cannabis operation in LA County history, and exonerated factually innocent individuals ^[5].