LA County Dist. Atty. George Gascón and his opponent in the race for his office, former federal prosecutor Nathan Hochman, have agreed to a debate next month to be presented by KNX News and the Los Angeles Times.
The debate is broadcast live at 5pm PT on October 8th on KNX (97.1 FM and 1070 AM) and The Times and KNX digital and social platforms.
The settlement in the hotly contested race comes at a crucial moment in the final weeks before the Nov. 5 vote. The candidates are selling voters very different visions of crime and justice in LA County. Vote indicates that Hochman, with his promise to reverse many of Gascón’s progressive policies, has strong momentum in the race.
Gascón will seek to defend his track record of reform-oriented policies aimed at reducing prison numbers and introducing alternative approaches to prosecution and sentencing.
Hochman presents himself as a more traditional prosecutor, tough on crime but still focused on ending mass incarceration.
The candidates have rarely gone head-to-head so far in the campaign. On last week’s Zoom forum hosted by the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles, they picked for the first time and traded polite barbs as technical difficulties and a rapid-fire format left room for further dialogue.
In the October debate, both candidates will try to make an impact with voters in what could be their last meeting before Election Day.
Viewers can listen for free to KNX News (97.1 FM and 1070 AM) or watch via streaming video at latimes.com, KNXNews.comthe LA Times app or the one LA Times YouTube Channel.
The moderators of the debate are KNX anchor Mike Simpson and chief correspondent Charles Feldman. Times reporters James Queally and Brittny Mejia and KNX News reporter Emily Valdez will serve as panelists.