Who are all the candidates running for LA County District Attorney?

After the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis sparked protests across the country against police brutality, voters in Los Angeles County chose to take their criminal justice system in a new direction by electing George Gascón as district attorney.

Gascón, a progressive former police chief who had also served as top prosecutor in San Francisco, pledged to reduce incarceration in the county, which is the nation’s most populous, and to take a much tougher stance on police accountability than his predecessors had done.

His election in 2020 was a major victory for the national movement to elect liberal prosecutors, which has gained momentum in recent years because Los Angeles has the largest county jail system in the country, as well as the largest prosecutors’ office.

Four years later, Gascón is up for re-election, and the race is shaping up to be a much more traditional kind of battle – one animated by crime and what to do about it, rather than by how to narrow racial divides and prevail. the police.

And in a presidential year, the race will certainly be closely watched for signs of the national mood around crime and criminal justice policy.

“I think for a lot of people this 2024 race has returned to the lockdown of law and order,” Gascón, 69, told me in a recent interview.

Gascón faces 11 opponents, most of whom are running to his right and are challenging some of his policies, including limiting the use of enhancements — including for gang membership and for the use of firearms during a crime — that add years to a sentence; in most cases refusing to try juveniles as adults; and limiting the use of cash bail and prosecution of crimes.

Many candidates have told voters a story about out-of-control crime in Los Angeles, fueled by lenient policies that let criminals go free.

However, these stories are contradicted by data showing a meaningful reduction in violent crime in recent years. In the city of Los Angeles, which makes up about 40 percent of the county’s population, murder and rape were both down about 18 percent last year, compared to 2021, Gascón’s first year in power.

However, property crime has risen significantly in some categories, including car thefts, burglaries and personal thefts.

All candidates, including Gascón, are polling low so far, although Gascón is at the top. One survey, conducted by the union representing sheriff’s deputies, puts it at 14 percent.

The primaries are in March, and unless one candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote — a remote possibility — the top two contenders in the primaries will advance to the general election in November.

Here are the candidates running against Gascón, some from his own office:

• Maria Ramireza veteran prosecutor who sued Gascón, accusing him of retaliating against her for reversing his policies.

• Nathan Hochmana former assistant U.S. attorney general who was the Republican nominee for attorney general of California in 2022, an election he lost.

• Craig Mitchella former prosecutor turned judge known in Los Angeles for the Skid Row Running Club, which he founded to help homeless people suffering from addiction.

• David S. Miltona retired judge who has presented himself as a “law and order” candidate, promising to seek harsher sentences and the death penalty.

• Then Kapelovitza liberal criminal lawyer committed to promises to tackle the root causes of crime, such as poverty and addiction.

Tell us

What are you looking forward to in 2024? Milestone birthdays, traveling to new places, taking up a new hobby?

Tell us your expectations for the new year at CAtoday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.

And before you go: good news

After a challenging period of pandemic shutdowns, followed by last year’s strikes by Hollywood writers and actors, Los Angeles’ cinema scene is returning.

In tribute to the city’s silver screens, The Los Angeles Times published a list of the best movie theaters in the county, according to the film’s writers and editors. The list highlights 27 locations in Santa Monica, Burbank and beyond, including restored movie palaces, beloved neighborhood theaters and new venues, with recommendations suitable for movie buffs, casual viewers and everyone in between.