Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman has escalated an extraordinary legal battle with a Superior Court judge his office has accused of repeatedly undermining prosecutors by slashing charges and handing down lighter sentences. Hochman’s office has filed motions seeking to disqualify Judge Yvette Verastegui, who serves in the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles, from hearing certain criminal matters. The challenge stems from a series of cases in