Meet new neighborhood prosecutor at Town Hall meeting Jan. 21

| January 14, 2015 | 0 Comments
STEVE HOUCHIN with city at-torney Mike Feuer, who has increased the program to its “magic number” of 21 prosecutors.

STEVE HOUCHIN with city attorney Mike Feuer, who has increased the program to its “magic number” of 21 prosecutors.

Larchmont’s new neighborhood prosecutor Steve Houchin was at a town hall meeting Wed., Jan. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Huffington Center, St. Sophia Cathedral, 1324 S. Normandie Ave.

Based out of the L.A.P.D. Olympic Division, Houchin oversees some 13 areas including local neighborhoods.

“The great thing about this position is it depends on the relationship I form with the community,” Houchin said.

In the coming weeks he plans to meet with homeowner groups and business owners, educators, parents and Neighborhood Council groups.

City attorney Mike Feuer proudly told the Chronicle he’d made more than good on a campaign promise to double the city Neighborhood Prosecutor Program.

The program tripled when he recently named Houchin as the 21st prosecutor in the program.

“Twenty-one is a magic number, because it reflects the number of police districts in the city,” Feuer said.

An array of crimes, from graffiti and vandalism to prostitution and everything in between will be on his plate, or rather on his desk at Olympic.

And mostly in the field, at homeowner meetings, talking to business owners and at City Hall. Some cases may take him to the city Building and Safety or other departments, and he will spend some time in court.

Ending gun violence, unlawful medical marijuana dispensaries and illegal dumping are also on his agenda.

“He will be the face of the justice system in the neighborhood,” said Feuer.

“The goal is to tackle quality-of-life problems and to transform the neighborhoods with problem solving, from creating safe pathways to schools to thriving businesses,” Feuer added.

A Bakersfield native, Houchin studied journalism and cinema at USC and received his law degree from Pepperdine University. He was a deputy district attorney for Ventura County, where he prosecuted crimes in the misdemeanor, general felony, and domestic violence units.

He is available at steve.houchin@lacity.org.

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