Polls show nearly two-thirds of voters remain undecided in the race for Los Angeles County district attorney. With a historically large field of a dozen prosecutors, judges and lawyers trying to unseat George Gascón, rivals have struggled to differentiate themselves from one another. Even his campaign ads have sounded identical.
If you're still confused looking at the ballot, here's a quick guide to the candidates who have taken the strongest and most distinct positions on some of the most debated issues in the race.
Improvements in sentences
Gascón has been criticized for many of his reformist policies, the main one being his strong limitations on presenting improvements to sentences.
The enhancements can add years to defendants' prison sentences in a variety of settings, including crimes related to gang activity or in which a weapon is used. Critics argue they are used disproportionately against people of color.
Los Angeles County District. Lawyer. Jorge Gascón.
(Associated Press)
While Gascón has relented somewhat on his position on the improvements (they still often occur in cases where police officers are injured or killed in the line of duty, for example), virtually all opponents have expressed a desire to push for more years behind bars when appropriate.
Former federal prosecutor Jeff Chemerinsky and defense attorney Dan Kapelovitz are the only candidates who have expressed doubts about completely undoing Gascón's work on improvements. Chemerinsky says their use in gang cases needs to be closely examined, warning that they have been “abused” in the past.
Kapelovitz, the only candidate to the left of Gascón, has been dismissive of all policies he says contribute to mass incarceration, including improvements.
Death penalty
Gascón prohibited prosecutors from seeking the death penalty when he took office, a move that is somewhat symbolic since Governor Gavin Newsom had already imposed a moratorium on capital punishment in California in 2019.
Among Gascón's main rivals are former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman and deputy dist. Lawyer. Jonathan Hatami has vowed to seek the death penalty in extreme cases, citing mass shootings and killings of police officers as examples.
Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at Pacific Palms Resort. From left to right are Debra Archuleta, Jeff Chemerinsky, Jonathan Hatami, Nathan Hochman, John McKinney, David S. Milton, Craig Mitchell, María Ramírez and Eric Siddall.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Chemerinsky has said he does not support the death penalty. Deputy District. Lawyer. Eric Siddall also opposes the death penalty, arguing that it is impractical given Newsom's executive order.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge David S. Milton has been the only candidate who seems enthusiastic about the use of capital punishment, often citing his experience winning death sentences as a prosecutor as a reason to vote for him. .
juvenile justice
Gascón took office with a blanket ban on trying minors as adults. He rescinded it in 2022 after national criticism over the Hannah Tubbs case, in which the office allowed a 26-year-old man to plead guilty to sexually assaulting a child in juvenile court. Gascón has since modified his policy and created a committee that approved 14 cases to be considered for transfer to adult court, according to a spokeswoman for the district attorney's office.
Nathan Hochman at the Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at Pacific Palms Resort.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Hatami and Chemerinsky say they would largely treat minors as such, although neither would commit to specific cases in which they would try to try teenagers as adults. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell said in an interview with The Times last year that he would probably only try to try teenagers accused of murder or child rape as adults.
Experience factor
The winner of the general election will take over a position in crisis, prompting some to call for a steady pair of hands to replace Gascón.
While many of the candidates have decades of legal experience, Deptuy Dist. Attorney. María Ramírez has spent most of her time in a management position within the office she intends to lead. With 30 years on the job, 12 of them in management, she served as the office's director of specialized prosecutions before clashing with Gascón early in her tenure. She has since sued the office, alleging that she was fired from that position for defying Gascón's policies.
María Ramírez at the Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at Pacific Palms Resort.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Hochman has the most diverse resume in the field, having served as a federal prosecutor, defense attorney, candidate for state political office, and chairman of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission during a 34-year professional career.
Cash bail
The Los Angeles County Superior Court system overhauled how it uses cash bail last year, prompting a lawsuit from more than a dozen cities that a judge all but overturned last December. Hatami has been the most vocal supporter of the lawsuit among Gascón's opponents, claiming during a debate last year that the new bail schedule is causing an increase in repeat offenders. However, data provided by the judicial system shows that only 3% of the approximately 5,000 people prosecuted under the new schedule were rearrested during the first three weeks it was in effect.
While Gascón enacted a policy limiting when prosecutors can request bail, only the court system can regulate the types of cases for which a defendant can be cited and released.
Jeff Chemerinsky at the Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at Pacific Palms Resort.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Chemerinsky says he supports bail reform and generally supports the modified system implemented by the Los Angeles County Superior Court, arguing that a defendant's custody status should be based on the threat he poses, not his wealth. Siddall, Ramirez and Mitchell have called bail “imperfect.”
Deputy District. Lawyer. John McKinney has offered the most comprehensive position on how bail could be changed. He defends risk assessment tools that have been used in other jurisdictions to judge the likelihood that a defendant will reoffend by analyzing his criminal record, his history of failure to appear in court, and other similar factors.
Minor offences
The district attorney's office filed charges in only 47% of misdemeanor cases filed last year, down from 72% in 2020, then-District. Lawyer. Jackie Lacey's last year in office. The drop is intentional, as Gascón wants the office to focus less on what he considers low-level crimes.
Gascón's overall effect on petty crime in the county is debatable. It has no impact on misdemeanor prosecutions in large population centers like Los Angeles and Long Beach, which have their own city attorneys to handle those cases. But his stance on minor crimes like drug possession and burglary has fueled the perception that Gascón is soft on crime.
Craig Mitchell at the Los Angeles District Attorney candidate forum at Pacific Palms Resort.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Citing his time working with homeless and mentally ill people through the Skid Row Running Club, Mitchell says he is the most qualified to improve the office's stance on misdemeanors. If he is elected, the judge says he intends to charge the defendants with simple drug possession with the intent to influence the person to enter a treatment program.
Hochman and Hatami have also advocated the use of drug courts for defendants suffering from addiction, and Chemerinsky supports diversion programs for defendants in similar situations.
