Industry writes big checks for Hochman in LA district attorney race

Los Angeles developers and property owners are pulling out the stops for Nathan Hochman, the former federal prosecutor and Beverly Hills High School alum who wants to unseat L.A. County District Attorney George Gascón on Election Day. 

Hochman has raised a colossal sum — $9.9 million as of Sep. 21, campaign filings show — with money pouring in from real estate interests in what might turn out to be the most expensive challenger bid for the office in L.A. County history (see table).

Dozens of real estate industry names are among the 61 donors that contributed the maximum amount of $9,000 to Hochman. That includes Pacifica Enterprises co-founders Robert Colucci and Dario De Luca, Oro Capital Advisors Founder Bradley Mindlin and multiple executives at the Haagen Company, a family-run retail developer, none of whom responded to requests for comment.  

About half of the money lining up behind Hochman — who holds a clear lead in recent polling — has gone to about a dozen political action committees that support him but are not allowed to coordinate with his campaign. PACs can accept larger donations than specific candidate campaigns.

Multifamily developer and Palos Verdes Investments President Jerry Marcil gave $459,000 via Hochman’s campaign and Los Angeles County Deserves Better, a PAC that raised just under $1 million from wealthy real estate and entertainment executives, as of the latest filing period ended Sept. 21. 

Other members of the Marcil family and a string of two dozen limited partnerships registered in Marcil’s name contributed another $197,994.

Then there’s billionaire developer and former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, who contributed $250,000 after announcing his support for Hochman over the summer.

“We all want a safer Los Angeles,” Caruso told reporters in June. “I’m confident with Nathan in charge, we will have a very fast, very effecting and lasting change.”

Gascón — a progressive prosecutor and standard-bearer of California’s criminal justice reform movement — raised only $1 million during the same period, and has fallen 30 points behind his opponent in the latest poll.

Hochman’s message seems to hit home for Angelenos. The former Republican, now running as an independent, wants to roll back what he describes as “pro-criminal blanket policies” in L.A. County and rehabilitate the city’s image — something real estate investors care a lot about. 

For Bob Safai, president of Beverly Hills-based commercial brokerage Madison Partners, there couldn’t be more at stake. 

“I’ve lived in California all my life. It has been a joyous place,” Safai said. “But now it’s a scenario where you don’t feel safe. The administration that’s in place is not doing enough to curb the crime. Crime is crushing real estate.”

Safai donated $2,000 to Hochman’s campaign last October and followed that up with two more checks in the following months to contribute a total of $9,000, the maximum amount for individuals. 

Voters on the West Coast have soured on several of the progressive prosecutors they elected four years ago, ousting San Francisco D.A. Chesa Boudin in a 2022 recall and also booting Portland D.A. Mike Schmidt from office earlier this year. 

And while major crimes such as homicide are down in L.A. County since their peak in 2021, property crime, including burglary, has ticked up, and viral videos of retail crime heighten the sense of lawlessness.

“These smash-and-grab robberies, they’re all over the news,” said Dan Yukelson, executive director of the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA), an industry group that endorsed Hochman. “Hochman’s aggressive, and he’s what we need now in L.A. County.” 

AAGLA is one of 14 business associations backing Hochman, along with the Greater Los Angeles Realtors Association and the Southland Regional Association of Realtors. The California Association of Realtors contributed $20,000 to Hochman through its PAC, according to public filings.

“I know a lot of our members are experiencing property crime these days,” Yukelson added. “Most of the interaction with property owners is through the many different local police forces throughout L.A. County. You don’t want to be covered by L.A.P.D. — they don’t get to your house as quickly as you need them to.”

Tom Carnahan, whose company, Carnahan Property Management, oversees a portfolio of about 500 apartments in L.A., contributed $700 to Hochman and said he doesn’t see the runoff as a partisan battle.

“There are more people moving out of California than moving in — that has never happened in history,” Carnahan said.

“It’s sad to see what lawlessness has done to our city. I will be extremely surprised if Hochman doesn’t win.”

Funding for L.A. County District Attorney Election

Nathan Hochman Total: $9,883,939 (from 4,064 donors)*

George Gascon Total: $998,270 (from 862 donors)*

Hochman’s Top Real Estate Donors

* Figures as of Sept. 21

Sources: Campaign finance disclosures filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk. Data includes contributions to “candidate-controlled” and “primarily formed” committees, as reported in campaign statements (Form 460) through the most recent filing period ending Sep. 21.

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