Wakeful Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon is clinging to a narrow lead in Tuesday’s primary, in a first sign that residents are finally embracing his soft-on-crime policies.
With 55 percent of the vote counted, Gascon has a marginal lead with 21.4 percent of the vote and independent Nathan Hochman’s 17.7 percent.
In 2020, she defeated her opponent Jackie Lacey by eight points.
Deputy Prosecutor Jonathan Hatami, a child abuse prosecutor and ardent critic of Gascon, rounds out third place with 13 percent of the vote.
Although several polls have shown that 51 percent of voters disapprove of the woke prosecutor, the sheer number of 11 rivals has kept him on top until now.
Hochman, a former deputy US attorney general who is running as an independent, told DailyMail.com he is ready to take on Gascon if they head to a runoff in November.
‘As you can see from the results, there are over 75 percent of people in Los Angeles County who voted against George Gascon, and I will be able to unify that opposition and take his record of failures over the last three years to trial.
“My witnesses will be the real victims of George Gascon’s policies, who have also suffered.”
Gascón has led a controversial tenure in his first year as Los Angeles’ top prosecutor, with several of the office’s rank-and-file members accusing him of retaliation if they went against his policies. To date, there are at least a dozen open lawsuits filed by prosecutors against Gascón.
In March 2023, a jury awarded $1.5 million in a retaliation lawsuit brought by veteran juvenile division prosecutor Shawn Randolph, who claimed she was barred from her duties after she rejected Gascon’s policies, including prohibition of trying minors as adults.
Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon speaks during a news conference on February 22, 2023 in Los Angeles.
Gascon was also criticized by the family of Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy Ryan Clinkunbroomer, who was shot in the head on September 16 while sitting in his patrol unit at a red light outside the Palmdale Sheriff’s Station. , California.
Clinkunbroomer’s mother, Kim, told ABC News that Gascon did not tell her he would not seek the death penalty against her son’s alleged killer.
The distraught mother told the outlet that she discovered the death penalty was not on the table when Gascón held a televised press conference.
“It just seemed like the district attorney wanted to spare a life, when (the suspect) didn’t spare my son’s life: he executed him,” Kim Clinkunbroomer said. ‘How dare you, on national television, tell me that you are not asking for the death penalty because that will not bring my son back? My son isn’t coming back, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do your job.
Kevin Eduardo Cataneo Salazar, 29, was charged Sept. 20 with murder for shooting Clinkunbroomer.
Rebel independent Nathan Hochun says he will join other opponents to oust Gascon
Hochman told DailyMail.com that if he wins, he will reinstate several policies that Gascón eliminated since taking office, including seeking the death penalty and special enhancements.
“When I take an oath to uphold the laws of the state of California, that is one of the laws that will be considered in very rare circumstances when applied to the most egregious situations,” Hochman said. ‘For example, the cold-blooded murder of a police officer, a mass terrorist incident where, God forbid, someone plants a bomb in a stadium.
He continued: ‘These are the types of situations in which the death penalty should be on the table to be considered. I wouldn’t do what George Gascon has done and take it completely off the table as if the death penalty law didn’t exist.’
The former federal prosecutor said he hopes to unite the other candidates and their supporters to unseat Gascón, who has already faced two failed impeachment attempts.
“My other worthy opponents competing against Gascón have something in common,” Hochman said. ‘We share a passion and we know that their policies have made us feel less safe. I hope to enlist your support to continue the movement to remove George Gascon from office and end the ‘Golden Age of Criminals’ in Los Angeles County.’
Gascón has not responded to DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
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