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Hochman Announces Immediate Rescinding of Certain Policies Affecting Public Safety

By a MetNews Staff Writer

Former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, left, swears in former U.S. Assistant Attorney General Nathan Hochman yesterday as district attorney of Los Angeles County.

Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced a series of immediate policy changes following yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony, promising to improve public safety in the county by pursuing appropriate sentences for violent and serious offenders.

Hochman said he would inform prosecutors in the office that he is revoking former District Attorney George Gascón’s Dec. 7, 2020 special directives that prohibited or strictly limited the filing of certain charges and sentencing enhancements.

Prosecutors in the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office will once again have the discretion to file charges based on the unique circumstances of each case, the crime committed, the defendant’s background, the impact on the victim, and the law, he said.

The changes he made on the first day of his administration include restoring the ability of prosecutors to pursue firearm and gang enhancements, eliminating Gascón’s prohibition on prosecutors attending parole hearings of offenders convicted of rape and homicide, and rescinding a directive forbidding the charging of juveniles with misdemeanors for stealing merchandise valued at less than $950.

North Stars

Hochman vowed a return to common-sense law enforcement, saying that “[d]istrict attorneys must have only two things as their North Stars: the facts and the law” and that he “reject[s] blanket extreme policies on both sides of the pendulum swing—decarceration policies that predetermine that certain crimes and certain criminals are not going to be prosecuted and mass incarceration policies that also are not anchored in the facts and the law.”

The district attorney remarked:

“No longer is this can getting kicked down the road. The D.A.’s Office will partner with federal, state and local law enforcement, government organizations, nonprofits and other groups to seek solutions to problems that have severely affected public safety and the quality of life of residents throughout the county.”

He continued:

“The solemn and bedrock promise that the government makes to each of you is that it will keep you and your families safe and do so in the most legal, fair, and impartial way possible. Working with the 2,100 employees of the DA’s Office, the tens of thousands of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and first responders, and the hundreds of community organizations and neighborhood associations, we will keep that promise.”

Rehabilitation Services

The head prosecutor committed to keeping counseling and rehabilitation services on the table for those whose crimes were motivated by addiction and mental illness.

He further announced his intention to lead task forces dealing with homelessness, fentanyl poisoning, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crime, and residential burglaries.

Hochman also committed to creating advisory groups that he says will serve as a bridge between the office and the community and give residents a point of contact to voice their concerns.

In a special directive, he announced:

“The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office Legal Policies Manual (LPM) in effect on December 6. 2020. is hereby restored, replacing and abrogating the LPM in effect through this date.”

Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger performed yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony outside the Hall of Justice in the Los Angeles Civic Center.