Vanguard News Bureau Chief
LOS ANGELES, CA – Former federal prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney General Nathan Hochman—who has sworn to undue the progressive polices of former District Attorney George Gascón—was sworn in Monday as the 44th District Attorney of Los Angeles County, according to a statement from Hochman’s office.
Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger swore in Hochman, who, in his statement said he will “improve public safety in Los Angeles County by pursuing appropriate sentences for violent and serious offenders, while also offering counseling and rehabilitation to those whose crimes were motivated by addiction or mental illness. “
Hochman also his “immediate policy changes” would hold “the most dangerous offenders accountable” (by) informing “prosecutors that he is eliminating former DA Gascón’s special directives that prohibited or strictly limited the filing of certain charges and sentencing enhancements.”
“Prosecutors in the 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,” Hochman said.
“District attorneys must have only two things as their North Stars: the facts and the law,” DA Hochman said in his statement.
“I reject 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,” he added.
Hochman said policies he’d be “implementing on Day 1” of his administration, include:
“Restoring the ability of prosecutors to pursue sentencing enhancements for defendants who used firearms in the commission of their crimes, or whose crimes were committed for the benefit of criminal street gangs.
“Eliminating Gascón’s prohibition on prosecutors attending parole hearings to advocate on behalf of rape victims and relatives of homicide victims when their assailants are seeking an early release from prison.
“Rescinding a prohibition against charging juveniles with misdemeanors for stealing merchandise valued at less than $950.”
DA Hochman, in his office statement, added he will form task forces to deal with homelessness, fentanyl poisoning, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crime and residential burglaries.
“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,” Hochman said.
“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,” Hochman said in prepared remarks.
“NEW LOS ANGELES DISTRICT ATTORNEY SWORN IN, PROMISES TO UNDO PROGRESSIVE POLICIES OF FORMER DA”
Tell that to David Greenwald.