To the editor: The Los Angeles County district attorney election reminds me of another recent vote. (“What Los Angeles County Voters Need to Hear from District Attorney George Gascón Before November,” editorial, March 6)
In 2018, Sheriff Jim McDonnell ran for reelection against challenger Alex Villanueva. McDonnell was doing a great job but in the past he had been a Republican.
Horrors! The local Democratic Party endorsed Villanueva, he won, and the party regretted it.
Now we have Nathan Hochman, a highly respected former deputy US attorney general and chairman of the Los Angeles Ethics Commission, running against incumbent George Gascón for district attorney.
Gascón has received votes of no confidence from 37 cities. An attempt to remove him was supported by many deputy prosecutors and deputy sheriffs.
However, since Hochman was once a Republican, the local Democratic Party endorsed Gascón. Wouldn't it be nice if in nonpartisan elections political leaders looked at a candidate's record rather than the party they belong to?
Lesser Russ, Manhattan Beach
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To the editor: It is a bad analysis to say that Gascón's advantage in the primaries is “weak.” With 12 candidates running for district attorney, Gascón has tens of thousands more votes than Hochman and a much larger lead over the other candidates. Votes are still being counted.
As for your editorial about what Gascón needs to do to win re-election in November, of course he “will have to work hard.” It's simple: Gascón is one of the best prosecutors of all time.
Mark Shapiro, Los Angeles
