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Department executive Jeff Adachi, Public Defender of San Francisco Website San Francisco Public Defender's Office | ||
The San Francisco Public Defender's Office is an agency of the Government of San Francisco. It provides legal assistance to individuals charged with violations of California state law by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office or the City Attorney of San Francisco. Courts within its jurisdiction include the San Francisco Superior Court, the California Court of Appeal for the First District, and the California Supreme Court.
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History
In 1978, Geoffrey F. Brown was elected Public Defender of San Francisco and was re-elected five times. During Brown's tenure, the Public Defender's Office grew to a staff of 83 attorneys and 40 support personnel.
In 2016, the office became involved in the Frisco Five protest. The San Francisco Public Defender Jeff Adachi sent California Attorney General Kamala Harris a request that supported the protestor's claims of racism by the San Francisco Police Department, and requested a civil rights investigation that would be enforceable. After Gongora's death, Adachi was joined by District Attorney George Gascon, Mission District Supervisor David Campos, and other stakeholders to protest the lack of transparency and need for police reform.
Current office
Jeff Adachi, the current public defender, is the only elected public defender in California and runs an office of nearly 100 attorneys and 60 staff members, which has a $24 million budget. According to estimates, the office represents over 23,000 people each year who are charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses. In February 2011, Adachi appointed Matt Gonzalez chief attorney in the Public Defender's Office.
Film
The office was featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Presumed Guilty, a film about the San Francisco Public Defender's office, its difficult cases and complex defense strategies.