Monday, September 29, 2025

The Compton NAACP and City of Compton hosted a town hall with LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who outlined major policy reversals from his predecessor, including removing blanket non-prosecution directives for homeless encampment crimes and juvenile misdemeanors. Hochman detailed his office's priorities on fentanyl enforcement, human trafficking prosecution, wrongful conviction reviews, and retail theft deterrence, while emphasizing a 'hard middle' approach that rejects both mass incarceration and decarceration. The DA disclosed that his office has reduced a backlog of over 10,000 unfiled cases to under 6,000 and revealed that a single apartment raid in Downey seized 50 pounds of fentanyl—enough for 11 million lethal doses. Hochman stated his office does not coordinate with ICE and expressed concern that federal immigration enforcement is deterring victims and witnesses from appearing in court. He committed to an open-door policy with the Compton NAACP's Court Watch program and pledged to return for future community engagement.