(Sept. 18, 2021, 10:45 a.m.) -- A story published elsewhere doesn't mention the name of L.A. County DA George Gascón. But his office made the decision to let LB Councilman Roberto Uranga and his wife, former Councilwoman Tonia Reyes Uranga (then seeking a LB School Board seat) avoid possible criminal prosecution on allegations of animal cruelty (alleged poor treatment of two dogs, one of whom died.)

The Urangas have denied the dogs were mistreated.

DA Gascón's office applied a diversion policy adopted in 2017 under former DA Jackie Lacey. It avoids criminal prosecution in certain cases but states it should NOT be applied in cases of alleged animal cruelty UNLESS it receives prior approval by a DA Animal Cruelty Case Coordinator and the Head Deputy or Deputy In Charge.

LBREPORT.com has obtained the DA's office Prefiling Diversion policy document. It states in pertinent part:

Referrals to the PDP shall be initiated by the filing deputy. The filing deputy shall exercise discretion in referring cases to the PDP [Prefiling Diversion Program] and shall not be required to refer to the PDP every offender who may appear eligible for the program

An experienced PDP officer shall evaluate each referral to the program for eligibility and suitability, conduct an investigation into the circumstances of the crime and the offender’s situation, propose a global plan to address the offender’s particular circumstances, and enter into a contract for supervision with the offender...

The Pre-Filing Diversion Program (PDP) diverts low-level non-violent offenders away from the criminal court process and into a voluntary supervision program...The requirements for the PDP shall be tailored to address the issues involved and may vary for each offender. The terms for each offender shall be determined by the PDP officer...

When the referral offense constitutes misdemeanor conduct, the PDP officer shall monitor the offender’s progress for at least six months. When the referral offense constitutes felony conduct, the PDP officer shall monitor the offender’s progress for at least one year...

Each offender who is eligible for the PDP shall be evaluated for acceptance to the PDP on a case-by-case basis. The primary consideration shall be the offender’s conduct related to the current offense.

...13. The conduct underlying the current offense(s) shall not involve:

[subsections "a" through "n"omitted]...o. Animal cruelty (Penal Code §§ 597(a), et seq.) (see “Commentary” below). [italics in original document>]

Commentary

...Charges involving any form of animal abuse, including dog and cock fighting, require prior approval from the Animal Cruelty Case Coordinator (ACCC) and Head Deputy or Deputy-in-Charge pursuant to LPM 10.13.01

In other words, presuming the prescribed procedure was followed, the allegations against the Urangas could not have been diverted without prior approval by the Gascón administration's DA Animal Cruelty Case Coordinator and the Head Deputy or Deputy In Charge.

Further as newsworthy on LBREPORT.com.