“George Gascon is about to be gone!”
Nathan Hochman made this declaration on the evening of Nov. 5 as it became clear that his campaign to challenge Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon had been successful. As of press time, election results showed Hochman defeating Gascon by a wide margin.
On Nov. 5, Hochman was speaking to hundreds of rejoicing supporters at an election party event in Beverly Hills, hosted by Platinum Equity, as he pledged to “go after criminals in the most fair, impartial and consistent way we can possibly do it.”
“Justice will be our client,” Hochman said. “We will go ahead and get back to the business of justice, of making crimes illegal again.”
Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, mounted a much-watched campaign against Gascon amid countywide frustration over Gascon’s progressive policies toward law enforcement. Since Gascon assumed the office in 2020, there were two attempts to recall him—though both attempts failed—as many L.A. County residents have blamed Gascon for perceived spikes in crimes around the county, such as looting and retail burglaries.
Hochman, who is Jewish and was raised in Beverly Hills, will now become the next district attorney of Los Angeles County, as early returns on Nov. 5 indicated he was beating Gascon by more than 20 points. On Tuesday night, on a stage erected in the courtyard of a Beverly Hills venue, he was joined at the election night party by several of his family members, including his wife, three grown children and brother.
Everyone was in triumphant spirits.
“For the first time in four years, there’s hope,” Hochman’s son, Harrison, said.
The incoming L.A. County DA thanked his wife, Vivienne, for being the continued voice of reason on the campaign trail, and he gave a shout-out to their daughter, Brynn, for aiding him in his social media strategy. His daughter, Brynn, helped him develop a voice on TikTok, one that apparently worked more effectively than Gascon’s did.
“Clearly, he didn’t have my daughter, Brynn, helping him with his TikTok campaign,” Hochman said.
Hochman also highlighted his connection to the Jewish community. Like many of his supporters comingling in the crowd on Tuesday night, he wore a yellow ribbon pin on the lapel of his sports coat—since Oct. 7, the yellow pin has become a symbol of solidarity with the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Onstage, before dozens of news cameras, Hochman spoke of the several ways that his parents—who were involved in Jewish Federation Los Angeles—instilled in him Jewish values.
Lessons from his parents included that “Tzedakah,” the Hebrew word for “charity,” doesn’t actually mean “charity,” Hochman explained. Rather, “Tzedakah” means “Justice”—and that is precisely what Hochman intended to pursue in his new role as the country’s district attorney.
Also, Hochman said his parents taught him the value of tikkun olam, the obligation to take care of the world.
“It starts with your community,” Hochman said, addressing his supporters.
At Tuesday’s Beverly Hills shindig, attendees awaited victory remarks from Hochman as it became clear he’d prevail over Gascon. They lined up at open bars, which served up ginger ale, beer and wine, and they noshed on plates of pastries, courtesy of Compton-based Ruben’s Bakery and Mexican Food. This past January, the bakery had been burglarized and ransacked by dozens of thieves—an example, in the eyes of many, of the increasing crime wave in Los Angeles that has gone unaddressed for too long under Gascon’s leadership.
Sharona Neysani, a Persian Jew based in Beverly Hills, was among the party’s attendees who felt hopeful that Hochman would prevent crimes such as those from happening.
“I’m very much supportive of Nathan because I believe he’s going to turn our beautiful city around and take away crime and homelessness, and he’s really the answer to what’s happening in our beautiful city and streets,” Neysani told the Journal. “Every day there is crime, and I should not be scared to walk when it’s dark in this beautiful city.”
Sandra Chorches also turned out to the event to show her support for Hochman. Chorches has known Hochman for 25 years—their children went to school together—and she expressed confidence Hochman would “help clean up this city and keep us safe.”
Local city officials also turned out, Beverly Hills City Councilman John Mirisch among them. In an interview, Mirisch said he was “thrilled” about Hochman’s victory. He’s known Hochman for most of his life—the two were in middle school together, and when Hochman ran for eighth-grade class president, Mirisch supported Hochman then as he supported him this past year in his race against Gascon.
For years, much of the criticism of Gascon focused on how he was too lenient toward criminal behavior throughout Los Angeles County in the name of enacting criminal justice reform. Hochman ran a campaign that acknowledged reforms in the system were needed but not at the expense of holding criminals accountable.
And for Mirisch, that message resonated. Late Tuesday, as a Hochman victory became apparent, Mirisch said: “It’ll be great for L.A. County to finally have accountability—someone who understands that criminal justice reform and public safety go hand-in-hand.”
