D.A. Layoffs Would Hit Santa Clarita and Antelope Valleys Hard : Courts: An official warns that some cases could be dismissed if special prosecutors are not appointed.

Threatened layoffs in the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office would mean the loss of some prosecutors in both the San Fernando and Van Nuys branches, but the biggest impact would be felt in the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys, where county prosecutors also serve as city prosecutors in misdemeanor cases.

Some defendants would simply not be prosecuted, an infringement on the rights of crime victims, complained the head of the office handling the Santa Clarita and Antelope valleys.

“There should be concern for victims and citizens being protected by the system,” said Pamela Davis-Springer, deputy district attorney in charge of the Newhall area office.

“There is a real prospect of cases being dismissed if the court does not appoint special prosecutors,” Davis-Springer said.

Dist. Atty. Gil Garcetti said Tuesday that an 8% budget cut called for by county officials would mean that nearly 160 prosecutors would lose their jobs. Garcetti said he would be forced to make those cuts by eliminating prosecution of misdemeanor cases in unincorporated areas and cities that do not have prosecutors of their own.

Garcetti said he would also have to limit prosecutions of juveniles to serious felonies, which is currently about one-third of the workload.

The budget cuts are prompted by new county estimates of a budget shortfall exceeding $1.1 billion. Officials have asked Garcetti to assess the impact of budget cuts of 8% or 25%. Both proposals also include an 8.25% cut in pay.

Garcetti said a 25% cut would mean laying off 359 prosecutors and another 130 to 140 employees in support staff, including investigators and clerical staff.

Garcetti said it would be impossible to function with either a 25% or an 8% cut.

The Santa Clarita Valley would be hard hit by the proposed cut. The Newhall area office could conceivably be shut down, Davis-Springer said.

Davis-Springer said the majority of the workload in Newhall involves misdemeanors such as drunk driving and petty theft. Preliminary hearings in felony cases are also held in Newhall, she said, but the cases are then transferred to San Fernando for trial.

“If county prosecution of misdemeanors is eliminated, conceivably this office could be closed,” she said. “Felony filings could continue here, but we would still probably lose three attorneys based on seniority.”

John K. Spillane, who heads the district attorney’s office in the Antelope Valley, said five of his 12 prosecutors deal with misdemeanor cases for the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale and the surrounding unincorporated county areas.

Spillane said the combination of seniority and the elimination of county prosecution of misdemeanors would probably mean a loss of five attorneys in his office.

“I would foresee a strain on the courts having to decide which cases to dismiss and in which cases to appoint a special prosecutor,” he said.

Van Nuys and San Fernando courts would not be affected by the cutback in prosecution of misdemeanor cases because the L. A. city attorney’s office handles nearly all misdemeanors in the San Fernando Valley. However, the layoffs could affect the San Fernando branch prosecutor who handles misdemeanor cases for the city of San Fernando.

Stephen L. Cooley, head of the San Fernando office, and Ronald H. (Mike) Carroll, head of the Van Nuys office, said they would expect to lose only a few attorneys based on seniority, although both said they are currently below their authorized staffing levels.

Bill Ryder, deputy in charge for the San Fernando Valley Juvenile Court in Sylmar, said most of his nine prosecutors face layoffs based on seniority. He said a minimum of five attorneys would be needed, even if prosecution of juveniles is limited to serious felonies.

“I’m imagining that (Garcetti) can’t possibly do it,” Ryder said. “I think it would be a terrible situation, especially in juvenile court. The more these kids get away with, the more they are encouraged that they can get away with things.”

Correspondent Jeff Schnaufer contributed to this story.