Former District Attorney Jackie Lacey is backing Nathan Hochman for Los Angeles County District Attorney.
As the first woman and African American elected as D.A., Lacey served two terms in the position and possesses intimate knowledge about the skills and talents needed to succeed in the role. She recently announced her endorsement of Hochman, stating that he possesses the qualities needed to serve.
“Nathan Hochman is a fair-minded individual. [He has] integrity, honesty, effectiveness, preparedness, compassion, empathy – all the different things that weigh into being a good district attorney,” said Lacey in an interview with the Sentinel.
Also in Hochman’s favor is his approach to the criminal justice system, added Lacey. She cited his holistic view of public safety based on his decades of experience as both a prosecutor and a defense attorney.
In addition, Lacey noted that Hochman understands the mission of the Office of the D.A, which is “to seek justice by, among other things, sending a message that criminal behavior is unacceptable in our county.” In contrast, she said D.A. George Gascón has emboldened criminals and caused an increase in crime by failing to properly enforce the law.
“Criminals are more brazen because they know they have allies embedded in that office. They know the office policies better than we do. It is time to elect someone who will be proactive at making us safer,” she stated.
Lacey also clarified that her support of Hochman was not influenced by Gascón defeating her for the office in 2020. In hindsight, she considers the loss as “God’s intervention in my life” because He “had something more important” for her to do.
During the past four years, her husband was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and passed away in 2022. Cancer was also detected in her mother, but she survived and is doing well at 80+ years of age. Not being an elected official allowed Lacey to spend time with her husband in the last year of his life as well as take care of her mom.
“Had I been the elected official at the time, I would have had to quit because my family is all I have. They are all I know, and my husband stood by me. For 42 years, he put up with a lot of mess,” Lacey said.
“So, I say that to say I have no bitterness. You haven’t even heard a peep from me in four years. People wonder, ‘Where is she?’ And I have told people, ‘Look, I have served my time in office.’
I know there was criticism, but I’m proud every decision I made.
“And now, as I sit here in my own home where I’ve got to lock things up, I got a dog now in case somebody tries to break in on me, [upgrade] my alarm system, and I keep hearing about people getting randomly shot and killed. I think to myself, ‘I gotta be careful,’” explained Lacey.
“I am endorsing Nathan Hochman for District Attorney because I feel a lot less safe than I did four years ago,” Lacey said.
“It’s time to thank and excuse the current district attorney and elect someone with a conscience. Please join me and vote for Nathan Hochman for District Attorney.”
Lacey also stressed the importance of Black Americans voting in the 2024 election. Recalling how tenuous the act is becoming with many state legislatures attacking voter’s rights, she urged the Black community to stay involved.
“So many people have fought and are continuing to fight for the right of Black people to vote. We can’t take that for granted. A lot of times we get busy, and we think we don’t need to vote, it doesn’t matter, and then we have to live with the consequences,” said Lacey.
“I’m encouraging people to vote in this election because most people probably won’t come into contact directly with the D.A., but the consequences, you’ll feel them because you’ll go to your local CVS and things will be all under lock and key or your insurance company tells you I’m going to raise your rates because you’re in a high crime area or you got to pay extra for security or whatever. These are the intangible things that affect all of us,” she insisted.
“When we don’t vote, when we don’t get involved, we have to live with the consequences.”
