Changes Called for in Hiring by D.A.

Alarmed at the hiring of a prosecutor who had been found liable by a civil jury for fatally stabbing a man, County Supervisor Mike Antonovich called Thursday for Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti to check out job applicants before, not after, they are hired.

Antonovich said it is unacceptable that prosecutors are being allowed to represent the state in court before their backgrounds are thoroughly vetted.

The supervisor said he plans to ask the board next week to request background checks before hiring for Garcetti’s office and for the public defender’s office, which also completes background checks after attorneys start their jobs.

Garcetti refused to comment again Thursday. Victoria Pipkin, a spokeswoman, said there are no internal plans “on the table” to review hiring practices.

The problem was highlighted by the case of Matt Horeczko, who was hired five months ago as a deputy district attorney and prosecuted criminal cases in the Inglewood courts. He resigned Friday after colleagues in Garcetti’s office belatedly discovered that a civil jury in 1993 had found him responsible for the death of Wade Hashimoto, who was stabbed four times during a brawl between rival teenage groups after a San Pedro party in 1989.

Horeczko was never charged with a crime by Garcetti or his predecessors, who said there was insufficient evidence to prove a criminal case.