The Coalition to End Biased Stops is highlighting new data showing that the S.F. ‘Pretext Stops’ policy has reduced racial profiling. The percentage of Black drivers stopped for non-moving violations (including the nine that are restricted under the pretext stop policy; ex. having a broken taillight) has dropped by 10%. Black drivers are no longer the...Read More

The Adachi Project’s New Film Series “Off the Record” Uses Art to Tell Untold Public Defender Client Stories. The films were screened at the Roxie Theater and highlight the vital work of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office. On Dec. 2, 2025, the Adachi Project screened three new films to a full house at the...Read More

Impact Justice and the SF Public Defender's Office announced the launch of the Homecoming Project in San Francisco. The Homecoming Project pairs people who are recently released from prison with hosts in the community who can offer a spare room in their home for six months.Read More

A San Francisco jury has acquitted 29-year-old Wyatt Johnson, who was arrested in a multi-agency law enforcement raid at Jefferson Park on Feb. 26. The jury unanimously acquitted him of all charges on Oct. 22.Read More

Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command. On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of...Read More

In May 2025, the Public Defender’s Office alerted the Court that we would be declaring unavailable one day per week in misdemeanor cases and select felony matters. This decision reflected the fact that our caseloads far exceeded those of our peers in the Bay Area as well as prevailing caseload standards from the American Bar...Read More

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, along with Californians for Safety and Justice—co-sponsors of AB 321, the Better Informed Decisions (BID) Act—are celebrating that California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 321 into law on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. This bill, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank), ensures that judges in the state’s criminal courts have more...Read More

Today, an SF judge ruled that the teen accused of shooting and attempting to rob 49er Ricky Pearsall will remain in juvenile court instead of being transferred to adult court.Read More

Public Defenders tried to get the man into a Mental Health Diversion Program, but the District Attorney’s Office objected. Instead, the case went to trial where a jury fully acquitted him.Read More

Prosecutors tried to eke a felony plea out of an unhoused man who defended himself against a drunk security guard who challenged him to an alley fight. Instead, he demanded a trial. Public Defender Tal Klement pushed for a dismissal, and prosecutors finally saw that they had no case.Read More