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Nathan Hochman

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Nathan Hochman
44th District Attorney of Los Angeles County
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 3, 2024
Preceded byGeorge Gascón
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division
In office
January 22, 2008 – January 20, 2009
PresidentGeorge W. Bush
Preceded byEileen O'Connor
Succeeded byKathryn Keneally
Personal details
Born
Nathan Joseph Hochman

(1963-11-26) November 26, 1963 (age 61)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Political partyIndependent (2023–present)
Other political
affiliations		Republican (until 2023)
EducationBrown University (BA)
Stanford University (JD)
WebsiteCampaign website

Nathan Joseph Hochman[1] (born November 26, 1963)[2] is an American attorney, who has served as the District Attorney of Los Angeles County since December 3, 2024.[3] Hochman is a former federal prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney General.[4][5]

Hochman served as United States Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice in 2008. Prior to that, Hochman was an Assistant United States Attorney for the Central District of California from 1990 to 1997, serving in the Criminal Division.[6] Hochman also had an extensive career in the private sector, as a partner of several nationwide firms and as a leading expert in tax law, criminal defense, and environmental law. Hochman is currently General Counsel at Ross LLP.[7] Hochman was president of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission from 2011 to 2016.[8] Nathan Hochman was elected as the Los Angeles County District Attorney in the 2024 Los Angeles County elections, defeating the incumbent George Gascón.[9]

Early life and career

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Nathan Hochman was born to Bruce Hochman (1929–2011), a US Air Force Veteran who was among the first graduating class of UCLA School of Law, and Harriet Hochman, who was an active non-profit leader in Los Angeles.[10] His family is Jewish.

Hochman graduated from Beverly Hills High School in 1981, then earned his Bachelor's degree from Brown University (magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and his Juris Doctor degree from Stanford Law School.

After graduating, Hochman clerked for United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles.[6] Soon after, Hochman became an Assistant US Attorney for the Central District of California. In that role, Hochman prosecuted over 180 cases in the criminal division, securing convictions against corrupt public officials, human and narcotics traffickers, money launderers, and more.[11] Hochman also was the Environmental Crimes Coordinator for two years.[11]

As an Assistant US Attorney, Hochman spearheaded the Los Angeles Disaster Fraud Task Force which was formed in the wake of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake and tasked with prosecuting criminals who defrauded the federal aid programs established for emergency relief.

Hochman was a principal at Hochman, Salkin, Rettig, Toscher & Perez, PC, a law firm founded by his father, Bruce I. Hochman. Hochman joined the firm of Bingham McCutchen, LLP in 2009 as a partner and then became a partner at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in 2014 when Bingham McCutchen combined with Morgan Lewis. At Morgan Lewis, he was the deputy chair of the White Collar Litigation and Government Investigations practice group.[12] In 2019, Hochman joined the firm of Browne George Ross LLP in its Century City branch office. Hochman is currently general counsel at Ross LLP.[7]

United States Assistant Attorney General

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Hochman while serving as United States Assistant Attorney General in 2008

Hochman was appointed by President George W. Bush to serve as United States Assistant Attorney General, overseeing the Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on December 19, 2007.[13]

As head of the Tax Division, Hochman oversaw the US Government's efforts to enforce federal tax law, particularly focused on bringing justice to individuals involved in tax evasion, offshore tax sheltering, bankruptcy fraud, and overall tax fraud.[14]

Los Angeles Ethics Commission

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Hochman was appointed by Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich to serve on the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and was confirmed unanimously by the Los Angeles City Council.[15] His term ran from August 2011 to June 2016.[16] The Los Angeles City Ethics Commission is responsible for administering city and state law with regards to political campaigns, lobbying, contracting, and governmental ethics. As an Ethics Commissioner, Hochman spearheaded a proposal to provide cash incentives to boost voter turnout in special elections in the City of Los Angeles.[17] In 2014, he served as the president of the commission.[18]

Political campaigns

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Hochman was the Republican nominee for the 2022 California Attorney General election,[19] losing the election to Democrat Rob Bonta.[20]

Hochman ran as an independent candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney.[21] In the March 5, 2024, primary, Hochman advanced to the general election against incumbent George Gascón.[22] On November 5, 2024, Hochman was elected as the 44th[23] District Attorney of Los Angeles County, taking over 61% of the vote.[9][24]

Personal life

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Nathan Hochman is married to Vivienne Vella and they have three children together. Hochman is an active community leader and volunteer, serving on the boards or holding leadership positions at Cedars Sinai Medical Center, the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, Stanford Law School, the Brandeis-Bardin Institute, the American Jewish University, the Legal Services Division of the United Jewish Fund, and the Jewish Community Foundation.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "Nathan Joseph Hochman # 139137 - Attorney Licensee Search".
  2. ^ "About » Nathan Hochman for California Attorney General".
  3. ^ California, The State Bar of. "Nathan Joseph Hochman #139137 - Attorney Search". Members.calbar.ca.gov. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  4. ^ Chidbachian, Alexi (April 4, 2023). "LA evolving into 'dystopia' under Gascón: Nathan Hochman announces run for DA". FOX 11. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  5. ^ Sheets, Connor; Queally, James (October 8, 2024). "'Not even close': Hochman's lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.'s race poll". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
  6. ^ a b "Former Assistant Attorneys General". Justice.gov. April 6, 2015. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b "NATHAN J. HOCHMAN". Ross LLP. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  8. ^ "NATHAN HOCHMAN ELECTED ETHICS COMMISSION PRESIDENT FOR FISCAL YEAR 2013-2014" (PDF). Ethics.lacity.org. Los Angeles City Ethics Commission. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  9. ^ a b Ding, Jaimie (November 6, 2024). "Nathan Hochman elected Los Angeles County DA, ousting progressive prosecutor George Gascón". AP News. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  10. ^ "Bruce Hochman". Jewish Journal. August 16, 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  11. ^ a b c "results.gov : Resources For The President's Team". georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  12. ^ "Nathan J. Hochman". Morganlewis.com. Retrieved September 22, 2018.
  13. ^ "PN1052 - Nomination of Nathan J. Hochman for Department of Justice, 110th Congress (2007-2008)". www.congress.gov. December 19, 2007. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "Tax Division". www.justice.gov. March 2, 2014. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  15. ^ Bravo, Jennifer (August 17, 2011). "Los Angeles City Ethics Commission Press Release" (PDF). City of Los Angeles. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  16. ^ "Commissioners – Ethics Commission". Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  17. ^ Morrison, Patt (August 26, 2014). "Column: Voting for dollars: It's not nutty, it's the latest idea to boost turnout in L.A. elections". LA Times. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  18. ^ "'Los Angeles Looks into Making Ballot Bankable' in Visalia Times-Delta". Newspapers.com. August 16, 2014. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  19. ^ Hochman, Nathan (June 29, 2022). "Interview: California attorney general candidate Hochman on guns, abortion-access". FOX40 (Interview). Interviewed by Ashley Zavala. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  20. ^ Wiley, Hannah (November 12, 2022). "Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta beats Republican Nathan Hochman in California attorney general race". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  21. ^ Von Quednow, Cindy; Cheng, Kimberly (April 3, 2023). "Former assistant U.S. AG joins challengers to L.A. County D.A. George Gascón". KTLA. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  22. ^ Dazio, Stefanie (March 9, 2024). "Nathan Hochman advances to Los Angeles County district attorney runoff against George Gascón". AP News. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "After the avalanche: Nathan Hochman becomes the 44th district attorney of LA County". www.dailyjournal.com. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  24. ^ Board, Editorial (November 22, 2024). "New DA Nathan Hochman needs the support of all Angelenos". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved November 22, 2024.
Legal offices
Preceded by
Eileen O'Connor
 United States Assistant Attorney General for the Tax Division
2008–2009 		Succeeded by
Kathryn Keneally
Preceded by District Attorney of Los Angeles County
2024-present 		Incumbent
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