Nathan Hochman

Early life and career

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. 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. At SLS, he served as the Executive Editor of Stanford Journal of International Law.

After graduating, Hochman clerked for United States District Judge Stephen V. Wilson in Los Angeles. 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. Hochman also was the Environmental Crimes Coordinator for two years.

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. In 2019, Hochman joined the firm of Browne George Ross LLP in its Century City branch office. Hochman was currently general counsel at Ross LLP.

United States Assistant Attorney General

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.

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.

Los Angeles Ethics Commission

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. His term ran from August 2011 to June 2016. 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. In 2014, he served as the president of the commission.

Los Angeles County District Attorney

Hochman was sworn into District Attorney on December 3, 2024 by actor and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Immediately upon taking office, he revoked several of Gascón's policies which had restricted prosecutors from pursuing the death penalty, requesting sentencing enhancements, and filing charges for misdemeanors such as drug possession and public intoxication.

Menendez brothers case

In a high profile decision made after his election, Hochman opposed a habeas corpus petition for Erik and Lyle Menendez requesting a new trial for the murder of their parents on the basis of claims that their father had sexually abused Erik, and also opposed resentencing of the brothers stating that they had not disavowed the false statements made about the crimes, thus withdrawing Gascón's original filing.

Rob and Michelle Reiner case

On December 16, 2025, Hochman charged Nick Reiner with two counts of first-degree murder with a special circumstance of multiple murders involving his parents, Rob Reiner and Michelle Singer Reiner.

Political campaigns

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

Hochman ran as an independent candidate for Los Angeles County District Attorney. In the March 5, 2024, primary, Hochman advanced to the general election against incumbent George Gascón. On November 5, 2024, Hochman was elected as the 44th District Attorney of Los Angeles County, taking over 59% of the vote.

Personal life

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.

References

References

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5. (2024-10-08). "'Not even close': Hochman's lead over Gascón grows to 30% in new D.A.'s race poll".
6. (April 6, 2015). "Former Assistant Attorneys General".
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9. Ding, Jaimie. (2024-11-06). "Nathan Hochman elected Los Angeles County DA, ousting progressive prosecutor George Gascón". AP News.
10. (August 16, 2001). "Bruce Hochman".
11. Tabor Brewster. (2024-10-30). "Nathan Hochman makes his case for D.A.". Beverly Press.
12. Lauren Koong. (2022-11-03). "Meet the Stanford faculty and alumni running in local midterm elections".
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14. Connor Sheets. (2024-10-03). "2024 Los Angeles County District Attorney Voter Guide: Gascón vs. Hochman". Los Angeles Times.
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16. (December 19, 2007). "PN1052 - Nomination of Nathan J. Hochman for Department of Justice, 110th Congress (2007-2008)".
17. (March 2, 2014). "Tax Division".
18. Bravo, Jennifer. (August 17, 2011). "Los Angeles City Ethics Commission Press Release". City of Los Angeles.
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20. (26 August 2014). "Column: Voting for dollars: It's not nutty, it's the latest idea to boost turnout in L.A. elections". LA Times.
21. (August 16, 2014). "'Los Angeles Looks into Making Ballot Bankable' in Visalia Times-Delta".
22. "DA Hochman sworn in".
23. (2025-02-21). "LA district attorney opposes new trial for Menendez brothers, still deciding on resentencing".
24. Shapiro, Emily. "Menendez brothers case: DA asks court to withdraw resentencing motion, calls self-defense claims 'lies'".
25. Lavietes, Matt; Stelloh, Tim (December 16, 2025). "Nick Reiner to be charged with murder in death of parents, officials say". NBC News. Retrieved December 20, 2025.
26. (June 29, 2022). "Interview: California attorney general candidate Hochman on guns, abortion-access".
27. (November 12, 2022). "Democratic incumbent Rob Bonta beats Republican Nathan Hochman in California attorney general race".
28. (April 3, 2023). "Former assistant U.S. AG joins challengers to L.A. County D.A. George Gascón".
29. (2024-03-09). "Nathan Hochman advances to Los Angeles County district attorney runoff against George Gascón".
30. "After the avalanche: Nathan Hochman becomes the 44th district attorney of LA County".
31. (November 22, 2024). "New DA Nathan Hochman needs the support of all Angelenos".