With Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón and former U.S. Attorney Nathan Hochman moving into November, this editorial board features the two candidates’ responses to surveys sent to all DA candidates before the election on March 5.

Previously, we published candidates’ opinions on selected topics:

Here we present their views on building public trust in the county justice system, their views on the progressive prosecutors’ movement, and a campaign promise they will make that their opponent won’t. This presentation was published earlier this year.

With full disclosure, this editorial board has endorsed Nathan Hochman.

What will you do to build public confidence in the Los Angeles County justice system?

Jorge Gascón: As Los Angeles District Attorney, I am working to reform the system by ending mass incarceration, holding law enforcement accountable, addressing sexual assault and harassment in our community, and prosecuting polluters. I am focused on public safety while reforming the overburdened and outdated prison system.

I have made reforming our criminal justice system a top priority and put the community first when prosecuting crimes. Because we need a system that is more than punishment, we need a system that comprehensively addresses the root causes of crime and aims to make our county fair and safe. I absolutely know that we need to communicate much more effectively about the results (and myths) surrounding criminal justice reform.

Misinformation and fear aggravate the public’s sense of unease. We need to talk about those distractions so we can address the completely valid experiences of families and communities, whether they are a small business owner worried about theft or parents of a child who needs support to get their life back on track.

Nathan Hochman: The lack of public trust in our justice system is a direct result of the failed leadership of our current district attorney, his pro-crime policies, and his lack of consistency in law enforcement. When the public sees the District Attorney brag that he has saved serious, violent criminals from over 10,000 years in prison by not charging them to the full extent of the law and that he will not allow prosecutors to attend parole hearings with victims who confront their perpetrators. , public confidence in the adversarial justice system is seriously shaken. To regain that trust, my tenure as DA would be distinguished from that of the current DA, starting with my background and experience.

Gascon has never personally prosecuted or defended a criminal case; I have personally prosecuted more than 100 cases, from violent gang members, drug traffickers and money launderers to corrupt police and public officials, environmental criminals and tax and bank fraudsters. I have also argued more than 200 cases and understand the impact that a criminal prosecution can have on a particular individual, family and community. Therefore, as a former prosecutor and defense attorney, I will bring credibility in both worlds to the Prosecutor’s Office. I will lead by example.

Unlike Gascón, I will be the one to establish, for example, a task force against organized crime in retail, instead of not even being invited to the press conference of the task force that Mayor Bass created.

On day one, I will address the public with leaders of law enforcement, public agencies, and community groups at my side and explain why blanket pro-crime policies have not worked and why “hard middle” policies have. they will do it. I will reverse Gascon’s overall policies and create, renew, or reprioritize task forces on homelessness, robberies, fentanyl poisoning, and organized crime.

I will work with the county to ensure adequate funding for the DA’s office and law enforcement to do the work of incarcerating real threats to our public safety and offering community service or diversion programs for non-violent, non-serious offenders. that qualify for them. I will be ready on day one to remove politics from judicial decisions and restore independence, honesty and integrity to prevent crime, protect public safety and ensure justice is served to all residents of Los Angeles County.

My number one priority as district attorney will be to restore public safety and advocate for crime victims and their families, which in turn will restore public confidence in the district attorney’s office over time. This approach will not only restore morale in the District Attorney’s Office and encourage the best/brightest to apply for positions as prosecutors, but it will also restore morale among law enforcement as I will focus on law enforcement order be a partner, rather than an enemy. , from the District Attorney’s Office.

What is your perception of the national movement of “progressive prosecutors”? What are the lessons, good and bad, that you have learned from that movement?

Jorge Gascón: When Los Angeles County voters gave me the honor of leading the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in 2020, we set bold goals. We wanted to begin right-sizing our own part of a nationwide prison system that was out of control, funneling people into the prison and prison system without questioning whether each decision truly promoted public safety.

For years, Los Angeles County had led the country in the number of people sent to prison, with few returns, while we watched violent crime continue to rise. Not only was Los Angeles County a leader in sentencing people to death, but we also used the death penalty disproportionately against people of color.

We seek the maximum possible punishment on behalf of victims, but we have often heard from victims that we do not provide them with lasting support. And we didn’t stop to ask what policies and investments could actually prevent crime, to prevent harm from happening in the first place.

Change does not happen overnight and we still have a long way to go. But over the past two years, our office has supported tens of thousands of victims and helped them on their path to becoming survivors.

We held people who caused real harm accountable and made sure those with power did not escape accountability because of their privilege, as has happened too often in the past. We also increased our efforts to prevent crime and intensified our work with key partners to address behaviors that are often criminalized rather than treated, such as addiction and mental illness. These are difficult issues to address, but to continue to pretend that the criminal legal system is a solution to them is simply unacceptable.