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District Attorney Nathan Hochman urges restored staffing to pursue gang homicides, hospice fraud and firearms cases
Summary
District Attorney Nathan Hochman told the Board that staffing cuts have constrained prosecutions and asked for restored prosecutors and support staff to pursue gang homicide units, hospice fraud cases and firearms-related investigations; supervisors and staff acknowledged the trade-offs with other county priorities.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman told the Board he attended the May 6 budget hearing to press for resources his office needs to maintain public safety functions. Hochman said staffing in his office has grown in recent years from 758 to about 810 prosecutors but remains below earlier levels; he said cuts last year reduced his office’s budget and capacity.
Hochman asked for a narrow set of restorations: three additional gang prosecutors, 14 staff positions for support roles and an increased complement of paralegals and investigators. "We asked for three more gang prosecutors," he said, noting prosecutors typically handle 12–13 cases and that reduced staffing has raised caseloads to 25–30 cases per prosecutor in some units.
He told the Board the office is prepared to investigate alleged hospice fraud and a firearms dealer implicated in multiple criminal cases if given resources, saying the work could recover funds and produce public-safety benefits. "We will do our best to take that funding and turn it into real results," Hochman said.
Supervisor Janice Hahn asked for specifics on unmet needs and received a list of the positions and rationale from the D.A.’s office. Chair Solis acknowledged the county is seeking to protect the safety net in the recommended budget and said she looked forward to proposals that target fraud involving AB-218 claims.
The Board did not take a separate vote on the D.A.’s request at the hearing; staff noted some requests were under discussion and that final recommendations would be part of the June deliberations and potential supplemental budget adjustments.
