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Gascón and Hochman spar in DA debate By Jose Herrera, City News Service
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Newsom awards SoCal cities, counties nearly $54.6M to clear encampments By Joe Taglieri joet@beaconmedianews.com
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burglaries, emphasizing that suspects in such crimes are being held accountable. Gascón survived two attempts to recall him, and during his tenure has also been accused by 20 prosecutors of workplace retaliation. Hochman harped on the issue of morale, which he described as being at an "alltime low." He added, "That is your legacy, Mr. Gascón, you've created a dysfunctional office." Gascón acknowledged that when he ran in 2020 there were people who opposed him, and still there are continue who oppose him now, yet he has a large segment of the office that "continues to support the work." On his record of prosecuting law enforcement officers accused of misconduct or excessive force, Gascón touted "moving the needle" in 125 cases and getting some convictions. Though he recognized that he will continue to address the culture of the system, where often when a police officer commits a
everal Southern California cities and counties were among 18 that will receive $130.7 million from the state to remove homeless encampments with new "robust" accountability measures and expectations for local governments, state officials announced Friday. A new program involving the state and local communities also aims to streamline encampment cleanups. The Southern California municipalities to receive funding are the city of Los Angeles, Riverside County, San Bernardino County, Pasadena, Victorville and Redlands. The state's new accountability measures require cities that receive homeless funding to comply with all state housing and homelessness laws and stay true to their housing plans — or risk losing funding and face other enforcement actions. “We’re supporting local communities’ efforts to get people out of encampments and connected with care and housing across the state. It’s important and urgent work that requires everyone to do their part," Gov. Newsom said in a statement. "The state has committed more than $27 billion to help local governments tackle the homelessness crisis — and we want to see $27 billion worth of results." The grants announced Friday are part of the state’s $1 billion Encampment
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Nathan Hochman. | Photo courtesy of Nathan Hochman for
District Attorney George Gascón. | Photo courtesy of George
LA District Attorney 2024
Gascón/Facebook
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os Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón on Tuesday defended his record as challenger Nathan Hochman went after Gascón's "blanket policies," which he says has contributed to an increase in crime. During a one-hour debate hosted by KNX News and the Los Angeles Times, the candidates traded barbs and presented their cases as to who is better equipped to lead the nation's largest local prosecutorial office. Gascón highlighted his progressive policies — several of which he implemented once he took office in 2020 — such as limiting extra-long sentences for people accused of using a gun or being a gang member, prosecutions of juveniles as adults and no longer seeking the death penalty, though he later revised some of his policies. Gascón's policies have been criticized for being too lenient on crime — an issue Hochman hounded Gascón and further pressed by arguing it has led to an increase in crime across the county. Hochman has said
he would revoke several of Gascón's policies. Hochman touted his "hard middle approach" to crime, stating that it will not lead to mass incarceration but rather cases would be reviewed individually and punishment is proportional for the crime committed. According to the California Department of Justice, violent crime is up about 8% from 2019 to 2023 countywide, but in Los Angeles violent crime decreased by about 6%. "We should not be worse than any other DA's Office out there. The LA County DA's Office used to be the gold standard by which all other DA's Offices had measured," Hochman said. Gascón pushed back noting that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office gold standard before was being the "most carceral county in the country." There were issues as well with the death penalty, sending juveniles to adult prisons and addressing police misconduct — all things he has worked to undo, Gascón argued.
The candidates addressed the rise in property crimes and public safety concerns related with them. "The reality is that the problem of policing certain crimes is not unique to our county," Gascón said. "Frankly, it's not unique to the moment, but the job of the district attorney is not to police. The job of the district attorney is to prosecute, and when cases are being brought in front of us, we're looking at those cases and we're holding people accountable the way that we can do best." Hochman painted a different picture, citing highprofile robberies of homes, 7-Eleven stores, retail and other local businesses. "We need to send a very strong message of enforcement, accountability and ultimately deterrent to those residential burglaries, and if they're coming, for instance, overseas from Chile or from Venezuela, we have to work with the federal government," Hochman said. Gascón countered with his office having a 90% filing rate related to residential
Resolution Funds, which help communities pay for efforts to remove "dangerous encampments and support people experiencing unsheltered homelessness," according to Newsom's office. The program has provided $737 million for 109 projects, aiding 20,888 state residents transition out of homelessness. The $130.7 million awarded to the 18 municipalities is projected to assist 3,364 people currently living in encampments and permanently house 1,565. "These grants will ensure local communities take a person-centered, trauma-informed approach as they help their most vulnerable residents transition to safe and stable housing,” Tomiquia Moss, the state's Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency secretary, said in a statement. “The Encampment Resolution Fund grants are infusing critical resources in communities up and down California so that unhoused Californians can access the essential housing and supportive services they need to achieve long-term stability.” According to the state Housing and Community Development Department, the funding will pay for permanent housing, interim housing for people "seeking coordinated entry system resources" or housing vouchers, "housing navigation