San Francisco Public Defender

San Francisco’s Undocumented Children

Lea Villegas — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:46:10 +0000

Op-Ed by Jeff Adachi

The recent news stories criticizing the city’s juvenile probation department for sending undocumented children home instead of handing them over to the federal immigration authorities has ignited a firestorm of negative attacks.

However, the stories missed a key fact: the city’s practice of transporting youth home was enacted with the full knowledge and cooperation of the Immigration and Naturalization Service 12 years ago.

Read the rest of Jeff Adachi’s op-ed, printed in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, July 16, 2008, here.

SF Community Cameras Exonerate Another Man

Lea Villegas — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:27:36 +0000

A felony case against our client was dismissed on July 10, 2008 after the client was proven factually innocent of armed robbery based on San Francisco community safety camera evidence. Video footage showed that the car our client was driving was not the getaway car, as alleged by police.

Read the rest of this press release here.

Chief Attorney Teresa Caffese Named to List of Top 75 Women Litigators

Lea Villegas — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:47:30 +0000

San Francisco, CA - The Daily Journal has selected Teresa Caffese, Chief Attorney of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, as one of California’s Top 75 Women Litigators. The Daily Journal highlighted Caffese’s recent work representing client LaShuan Harris, a mentally ill mother who faced triple murder charges in the deaths of her three children.

Read the rest of the press release here.

Mentally Ill Man Pleads Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity

Lea Villegas — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:59:18 +0000

San Francisco, CA - Omeed Aziz Popal, 30, pled not guilty by reason of insanity today at the Hall of Justice, 850 Bryant Street. Popal is facing attempted murder charges in connection with a series of alleged hit-and-run incidents that injured sixteen people in San Francisco on August 29, 2006.

Read the rest of this press release here.

Jon Osaki to Receive 2008 Juvenile Justice Hero Award

Lea Villegas — Fri, 09 May 2008 00:30:04 +0000

San Francisco, CA – Jon Osaki, Executive Director of the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC), will receive the 2008 Juvenile Justice “Hero” award for his outstanding work supporting youth in San Francisco. The award will be presented by Public Defender Jeff Adachi at the Fifth Annual Juvenile Justice Summit: “Less Talk, More Action: Solutions for Safe Schools and Safe Streets” on Wednesday, May 14, 2008.

Read the rest of this press release here.

SF Leaders and Residents Convene to Reduce Youth Violence in Schools and on Public Transportation

Lea Villegas — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:52:32 +0000

San Francisco, CA – The Fifth Annual Juvenile Justice Summit: “Less Talk, More Action: Solutions for Safe Schools and Safe Streets,” will be held on Wednesday, May 14, 2008, at the San Francisco Public Library, Koret Auditorium, 100 Larkin Street. Hosted annually by the Public Defender’s Office since 2004, the summit will draw over 250 youth, parents and city leaders to discuss and pose solutions to juvenile justice issues both locally and statewide.

Read the rest of this press release here.

DNA Matches Aren’t Always a Lock

Lea Villegas — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:53:31 +0000

Genetic evidence is widely viewed as ironclad. In ‘cold hit’ cases, however, the truth is often elusive. San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Kwixuan H. Maloof defended John Puckett in his trial for murder. Puckett insisted he didn’t kill the victim. According to the defense, although DNA at the crime scene happened to match his, it belonged to someone else.

Read the Los Angeles Times cover story on this case here.

Woman Acquitted Twice by Two Separate Juries in Same Month - PD Questions DA’s Motive in Filing Loitering Charges

Lea Villegas — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:38:27 +0000

San Francisco, CA - A 26-year-old San Francisco woman was acquitted twice by two separate juries. Tried twice over a one-month period, the woman had been charged by prosecutors with loitering with the intent to commit prostitution on June 8, 2007 and October 23, 2007 in San Francisco.

Read the rest of this press release here.

Public Defender Adachi Opposes AB 2377

Lea Villegas — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 22:33:19 +0000

AB 2377 would have made it more difficult for criminal defendants to access records of police misconduct that are material to their defense. Public Defender Jeff Adachi submitted a letter opposing AB 2377 to the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Mary Hayashi, and to members of the Assembly Public Safety Committee.

Read Public Defender Adachi’s letter to Assemblymember Jose Solorio, Chair of the Public Safety Comittee, here: PD Adachi opposition to AB 2377

Read Public Defender Adachi’s op-ed, printed in The Recorder, April 18, 2008, here: Proposed laws cloak police misconduct

NOTE: AB 2377 has been withdrawn.

What San Francisco Can Do About Gangs - 10 Points of Action

Lea Villegas — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:10:43 +0000

by Jeff Adachi
Featured on BeyondChron.org, March 20, 2008

“Looking back over our 200-year struggle to eliminate gangs, it is clear that there is no simple solution. History has demonstrated that traditional law enforcement efforts continuously fail to solve the problem. It is therefore time that we look to innovative solutions that take a collaborative approach, and involve schools, community- and faith-based organizations, rather than purported ‘new’ solutions that merely enhance police power. To this end, I propose the following ten points of action.”

Continue reading Public Defender Adachi’s “10 points of action” here.