Overview
- On Dec. 19, a judge approved mental-health diversion for former Kern County Supervisor Zack Scrivner, allowing treatment in lieu of immediate jail or trial.
- Scrivner was charged in February 2025 with felony child abuse and possession of assault weapons, with no separate sex-crime count despite a complaint alleging intoxicated, inappropriate touching of a child.
- Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains criticized the outcome as an 'Epstein loophole' and pressed state officials on the absence of sex-abuse charges.
- The California Department of Justice opposed the court’s decision and said it is reviewing options following the approval of diversion.
- Critics argue the 2018 diversion law—expanded in 2022—lets serious cases qualify because Penal Code 273a is not excluded, and scrutiny has grown due to Scrivner’s familial tie to Kern County DA Cynthia Zimmer.