Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman are headed to a runoff in the D.A.’s race in November.
The incumbent, known for championing criminal justice reform, advanced with just 25% of the vote, while Hochman, who has said he would reverse all of Gascón's reforms, came in second in a crowded field, trailing Gascón by a little less than 10 percentage points.
Final results
A note on the results
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The California Secretary of State's Office certified the final vote tallies on April 12, marking an official end to the March 5, 2024 Primary Election.
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Shortly before the polls closed on election night, Gascón said he felt "really good" about the campaign.
“I feel very strongly we will do well in November,” he told reporters.
In an interview with LAist, Hochman decried Gascon’s “pro-criminal” policies and promised to “unify the opposition to him."
For an incumbent, Gascón made a relatively poor showing, according to at least one expert.
“The rule of thumb is that if an incumbent cannot get 50% of the vote, they are in big trouble,” said Fernando Guerra, professor of political science at the Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.
But that doesn't mean the eventual outcome of the race is a foregone conclusion.
Despite this being a non-partisan race, Guerra noted Hochman only recently left the Republican Party and registered as a non-partisan voter, which could hurt him in heavily Democratic L.A. County.
“You can bet that the Democratic establishment, the Democratic Party and the Democratic apparatus will be supporting George Gascón,” he said.
November will also see a bigger voter turnout, favoring Gascón, Guerra said.
“With greater turnout, there are going to be more progressive and younger voters,” he said.
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How we got here
The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office is the largest local prosecutorial office in the U.S.
When Gascón was elected four years ago, he enacted a sweeping set of reforms when he took office as district attorney. They resulted in a dramatic reduction in the filing of misdemeanors and certain gang and other sentencing enhancements.
He has said his policy of reducing criminal penalties is aimed at reducing mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
“The movement continues,” Gascón said. “The issues that got me and others elected around the country continue to be as important today as they were before.”
At the same time, he acknowledged polls that show people are concerned about a rise in property crimes and feel less safe. The Los Angeles Police Department's year-end statistics released last month show property crime rose about 3% in 2023. Violent crime was up about the same amount.
According to a Gallup poll released in November, fear for personal safety is at a three-decade high around the country. The poll found 40% of Americans said they would be afraid to walk alone at night within a mile of their home. Gallup has been asking that question since 1963.
Violent crime has trended downward nationally for at least 30 years, according to FBI data.
Gascón acknowledged there is more talk about crime this year than there was when he came into office in 2020.
“There is no question the political environment is very different now than it was four years ago,” he said. But he noted crime started to go up before he took office and that violent crime ticked back down last year.
Hochman argued L.A. County is less safe under Gascón and promised to “prosecute the prosecutor” in an expected November runoff.
“You hear about fear. You hear about people and parents being concerned about letting their children out at night,” he said.
What's next
Because nobody in the race received more than 50% of the votes, the top two finishers will face off in November.
On election night, Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami was polling third in a field of candidates. He appeared to concede the race Thursday evening in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Even though the vote count didn’t bring the results we hoped for in this election, I am so proud of all we have accomplished together," the post reads. "Our work to restore public safety, victims’ rights, transparency and accountability and bring real reforms to our justice system isn’t over."
None of the other candidates had received more than about 8 percent of the votes by late Friday.
About the candidates
Debra Archuleta: Archuleta is a Superior Court judge who was first elected in 2016. Previously she was a deputy district attorney for 25 years.
Jeff Chemerinsky: Chemerinsky served as a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles from 2014 to 2023. He most recently served as chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Section.
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George Gascón: Gascón was elected as the L.A. County District Attorney in 2020. Previously, he served as district attorney in San Francisco, police chief in San Francisco and police chief in Mesa, Arizona. He was a Los Angeles police officer for 22 years, rising to the rank of deputy chief. Gascón enacted a sweeping set of reforms when he took office as district attorney. They resulted in a dramatic reduction in the filing of misdemeanors and certain gang and other sentencing enhancements. He has said that his policy of reducing criminal penalties is aimed at reducing mass incarceration and racial disparities in the criminal justice system.
Jonathan Hatami: Hatami has been a deputy district attorney in L.A. County since 2006. He is a senior trial attorney in the Complex Child Abuse section.
Nathan Hochman: Hochman is a criminal defense attorney who previously served as U.S. assistant attorney general for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. He is also a former federal prosecutor in L.A. and former president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. In 2022, he was the Republican nominee for California attorney general.
Dan Kapelovitz: Kapelovitz is a criminal defense attorney. His firm also represents animal rights activists pro bono when they are charged with crimes related to their working to help animals. Previously, he was the features editor of Hustler Magazine.
Lloyd 'Bobcat' Masson: Masson is a prosecutor in the cold case unit of the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. He is a former deputy city attorney in Los Angeles.
John McKinney: McKinney has been a deputy district attorney in L.A. County since 1998, serving for five years in the Hardcore Gang Division and for more than a decade in the Major Crimes Division. He also serves on the board of directors of the California District Attorneys Association.
David Milton: Milton is a retired Superior Court judge. Previously, he was a deputy district attorney in Los Angeles County and a chief assistant prosecutor in Indianapolis.
Craig Mitchell: Mitchell has been a Superior Court judge for 18 years overseeing serious felony cases. Previously, he was a deputy district attorney for 11 years and high school teacher for 17 years. Mitchell founded the Skid Row Running Club. The club brings together volunteers and runners from all walks of life to train for marathons — promoting physical fitness, mental health and community building.
Maria Ramirez: Ramirez has been a deputy district attorney since 1990. She currently oversees the Target Crime Division, which includes the Child Abduction, Arson and Explosives, Stalking and Animal Cruelty sections. Previously, Ramirez served in the Hardcore Gang and Major Narcotics Divisions and ran the Bureau of Specialized Operations.
Eric Siddall: Siddall is a violent-crimes prosecutor with the District Attorney’s Office. He is also designated as a special assistant U.S. attorney. He has been with the office for 16 years. Previously, he sat on the board of the victims’ rights group Justice for Murdered Children.
Follow the money
LAist's Antonia Cereijido and James Chow contributed to this report.
