LOS ANGELES—With a famous line from a 1984 film, former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger swore in newly elected District Attorney Nathan Hochman outside the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles on Dec. 3.
“I’m wearing these sunglasses here today because they say on it, ‘I’ll be back,’” said the actor and ex-bodybuilder, echoing a promise from “The Terminator.”
“And the reason I wanted to wear them is because the city of Los Angeles is now going to be back.”
Winter clouds lifted over downtown, allowing the sun to shine on the outside ceremony, as city and county officials celebrated what they expect will be the start of a new era of public safety in a city plagued by increased lawlessness.
Several hundred onlookers watched from the street while leaders and invited guests welcomed Hochman, 61, to his new job.
“I’m so happy you are our next district attorney,” Schwarzenegger told Hochman, who stood on the podium with his wife, Vivienne Vella, Tuesday afternoon. “I came over here 56 years ago as an immigrant to Los Angeles because it was the mecca of bodybuilding, the mecca of the movie industry, and the mecca of innovation. Everything was fantastic here. But what I have seen over the last few years was pitiful.”
Los Angeles County residents have endured several crime waves involving flash-mob style robberies, retail theft, follow-home burglaries, and home invasion robberies since former District Attorney George Gascón’s term started in 2020.
“This is insane, ladies and gentlemen,” Schwarzenegger said. “This city deserves much better than that.”
The first action Hochman planned to take Tuesday was to immediately end Gascón’s blanket policies that inhibited prosecutors from charging suspects in some cases and adding enhancements that tack years onto sentences for gang members and gun crimes.
The policies banned prosecutors from seeking the death penalty and lessened many crimes, while sometimes stopping prosecutors from filing charges for drug possession and trespassing.
One policy also barred prosecutors from joining victims at parole hearings.
“Those policies were heartless, and they are eliminated starting today,” he said.
Hochman promised to begin charging cases on the facts and the law, and to reach for a middle ground by taking each case individually.
“We are here collectively as Angelenos who represent the 10 million clients of the district attorney’s office who are looking to live in a county where safety is prioritized, laws are followed, those who break them are held accountable, and the process to get there is fair, impartial, ethical, and effective.”
Hochman also promised to support the prosecutors in his office, many of whom revolted against Gascón’s policies in the last few years.
Hochman plans a three-step approach that will include expanding efforts to root out implicit and explicit racial bias in prosecutions, exonerate innocent defendants, and investigate only law enforcement officers who commit crimes.
He also planned to lead task forces to deal with homelessness, fentanyl poisoning, human trafficking, hate crimes, organized retail crimes, and residential burglaries.
He said he plans to enact an agenda to reach out to children starting in fifth grade and educate them on the consequences of bad decisions, while also focusing on ex-convicts by “ensuring prisoners have a skill set when they get out,” he said.
About half of the prisoners who leave custody in Los Angeles County return, according to Hochman. By teaching them coding skills, he said he hoped to slow down or eliminate the criminal activity “pipelines” and make the community safer.
His plans sparked enthusiasm among several city and county leaders at Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
Los Angeles Councilwoman Traci Park said the community shares a “new sense of relief and hope.”
“For far too long, we’ve watched Los Angeles slip into chaos and lawlessness,” Park said during the ceremony. “Police arrest the same criminals over and over, only to see them right back on the streets, free to reoffend at their leisure.”
The city has also seen an increase in international gangs using travel visas for organized crime because they don’t fear the city’s justice system, she said.
“Our families, our businesses, our neighborhoods were all the test subjects in these soft-on-crime, ‘criminals are the victims, police are the enemy’ failed social experiments,” Park said. “But that all changes right now today.”
Los Angeles Police Chief Jim McDonnell said it was a new beginning for the county.
“Today marks the start of an exciting new chapter in Los Angeles County’s continued pursuit of justice and public safety,” McDonnell said.
The county’s Board of Supervisors Chair Kathryn Barger and Sheriff Robert Luna also spoke at the event. Mayor Karen Bass sent a statement read by her office.
