Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon is heading
for a runoff election after only earning
24% of the vote against several challengers.
He will face Nathan Hockman,
who is specifically running on reversing
Gascon's crime policies. And Nathan Hockman is here with me
now.
Nathan, good morning to you.
Congratulations on forcing this thing to a runoff.
If you become District Attorney in LA,
What can voters there expect?
So voters can expect something that prosecutors used to do,
which is holding criminals accountable for their actions.
I would reverse George Gascon's pro criminal blanket policies on
day one.
These are policies where people who can have been able
to steal just under
$950.00 with impunity. These are policies where Gascon refuses even
though the evidence permits to file gun and gang enhancements
on various people.
Three strikes cases he has fought very mightily.
These are situations where prosecutors have not been able to
go with victims and their family,
victim families to confront the murderers at parole board hearing
hearings.
We've reversed these policies on day one and basically go
back to the days where we where prosecutors looked at
each individual case,
the defendant, the crime committed and the impact on the
victim to determine who the true threats are to our
society and need to be behind bars and the ones
who aren't. Your first time nonviolent offender who can basically
serve their debt to society by community service or a
diversion program.
Well, Nathan, when it comes to the statistics,
Homicide, shooting victims, robbery all up by double digits,
motor vehicle theft up by almost 10%.
And you know, we talked to victims of crime all
the time and their families.
And even in these four minute segments that are live
on TV,
it's clear that the devastation and heartbreak is real for
these people.
Was there a certain decision or crime that occurred
that became the decision maker for you
to challenge him?
For me, it was probably meeting parents who had lost
their children to fentanyl poisoning.
George Gascon will not hold these fentanyl poisoners as murderers.
Nor will he give a notice to a convicted fentanyl
dealer that if they go ahead and do their crime
a second time and someone dies,
that he will charge them with murder.
I basically believe in. And by the way,
the last warning is a bipartisan bill that has been
rejected up in Sacramento and George Gascon refuses to implement
in Los Angeles.
I would treat these fentanyl,
you know, poisoners as murderers,
give that warning and basically tell the victims of Los
Angeles County that they now have a champion in the
DA's office as opposed to someone who signs with criminals
1st and victims later. Well,
Gascon received 24% of the vote.
You received 17, So a majority of voters are still
up for grabs.
The Los Angeles Times has a piece out and says
that what
Gascon's going to do in terms of strategy is he's
going to tie you to Donald Trump.
What's your reaction to that,
knowing that you are running in a deep blue county?
Well, Gascon has no choice because on experience he's actually
personally prosecuted and defended 0 cases.
Well, I prosecuted over 100 and defended over 200 on
policies.
His policies have actually failed.
So all he has left is politicize the
the election. But what we have found is that
the the fear and the concern over someone's safety cuts
across political,
geographic and demographic lines. And I will unite that
76% of opposition to Donald Trump,
Donald Trump to George Gascon,
who will be funded by George Soros.
And we will bring that united opposition to election night
victory.
Well, voters from San Francisco to Washington,
DC are clearly having buyer's remorse when it comes to
the soft on crime policies and criminal justice reform.
So we'll see how it plays out for you and
the current DA in November.
Nathan Hockman, thank you so much for joining us.