Seeking reelection, Orange County DA Spitzer compares opponent to LA County DA Gascón

The Orange County district attorney race is a battle of two very different philosophies. Todd Spitzer, the current D.A., is bringing the policies of Los Angeles County to the forefront of his reelection campaign.

The theme of Spitzer's campaign is it's not Los Angeles and he uses the hashtag #NoLAinOC.

"This is not about an inference that L.A. as an entity is not a beautiful, magnetic, wonderful place to live, work and prosper," said Spitzer during a Wednesday news conference held on the border of the two counties. "What it means is that the residents of L.A. County are not safe."

Spitzer is blaming the policies of L.A. County D.A. George Gascón. Some Los Angeles families who have lost loved to violence were present at the news conference. They say Gascón's policies are hurting them.

"Please don't let what's happening in Los Angeles County happened to you here," said Aurora Carlos.

Spitzer's opponent is Pete Hardin.

"It's an embarrassment to Orange County the way that our district attorney cannot get through a sentence without talking about other counties and other district attorneys," he said.

Spitzer compares Hardin to Gascón and says he would put in similar policies in Orange County.

"I've never met DA Gascón, I've never talked to him. I know a little bit about his policies and my policies differ in significant ways. For example, when it comes to enhancements, I am absolutely against any blanket policies against the use of sentencing enhancements," Hardin said.

When asked about that comparison during a virtual news conference regarding a murder investigation in L.A. County, Gascón responded with this:

"I'm not going to engage in political rhetoric when we're trying to do the work that we all get paid to do."

At Spitzer's event Wednesday, there were some protesters but he pressed on. He says he wants to see both L.A. and Orange counties succeed.

"I'm truly saddened by what I'm seeing happening in L.A. and it's not going to happen here," he said. "So the hashtag #NoLAinOC is to educate people about the fact that we cannot allow Los Angeles to deteriorate or Orange County to become Los Angeles."