11 Oct With Retail Theft Skyrocketing Under Gascon, 7-Eleven Franchise Owners Endorse Nathan Hochman for District Attorney
LOS ANGELES / October 11, 2024 – Spurred to action by years of increasing retail theft under the current D.A., California 7-Eleven franchise owners are enthusiastically supporting Nathan Hochman for Los Angeles County District Attorney.
The 7-Eleven Franchise Owners Association of Southern California and the California 7-Eleven Franchisees PAC said they believe Hochman is clearly the best choice for District Attorney in the Nov. 5 election.
“Your dedication to reducing crime – especially retail theft, which has been a growing concern for our members – makes you the clear choice for District Attorney,” Nachhatar Bhullar, Treasurer of the California 7-Eleven Franchisees PAC, said in an endorsement letter to Mr. Hochman. “We believe that your experience, coupled with your balanced approach to enforcing the law, will play a pivotal role in ensuring that businesses like ours can continue to thrive in a safe and stable environment.”
Mr. Bhullar added: “The future success of our businesses depends on the right policies and leadership, and we believe you are the right person to deliver them. We look forward to your leadership in creating a safer, more secure Los Angeles County that allows small businesses like ours to prosper.”
The endorsement of Mr. Hochman is part of a campaign by 7-Eleven franchise owners to support law enforcement’s ability to discourage retail theft and hold accountable those people who are victimizing small business owners. On Thursday, 7-Eleven franchise owners announced they were donating $1 million to promote Proposition 36, which increases the possible sentences for those who repeatedly commit retail theft.
“Many 7-Eleven franchise owners have invested their life savings into their businesses, only to see their profits wiped out by repeated theft that has gone unpunished by George Gascon,” Mr. Hochman said. “As District Attorney, I will make sure that those who steal from small businesses will be held accountable, which will deter others from committing the same destructive crimes.”
Reports of shoplifting increased by 133% between 2020, the year that Gascon took office, and 2023, according to the California Department of Justice. Sadly, those numbers do not include thousands of shoplifting incidents that were not reported to police by store owners who know that current D.A. Gascon will not prosecute the criminals.
Recent polling confirms that Los Angeles County voters are fed up with Gascon’s pro-criminal policies, with Hochman holding a 30-point lead over Gascon. The L.A. County Registrar of Voters began mailing ballots to voters this week.
About Nathan Hochman:
Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor, Assistant U.S. Attorney General, President of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission and defense attorney, is running to defeat George Gascon and become the next District Attorney of Los Angeles County. He is an Independent (No Party Preference) candidate who believes politics has no place in the D.A.’s Office. He has bipartisan support and is endorsed by the Los Angeles County Police Chiefs’ Association, the Association of Deputy District Attorneys, former District Attorney Jackie Lacey, a coalition of first responders, more than 70 elected officials and dozens of civic and business leaders. For more information about Hochman and his campaign, please visit www.NathanHochman.com.
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