DATE: May 10, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **MEDIA ADVISORY** San Quentin COVID-19 Outbreak on Trial: Hearing to Start May 17 Weeks of Evidence and Testimony Expected WHAT: An evidentiary hearing in the case against San Quentin State Prison and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR)...Read More

Photo: More than 100 people are still in jail awaiting trial past the last day in which they must be legally brought to trial. (Kevin N. Hume/S.F. Examiner) The lack of courtroom access in San Francisco is a human rights issue By Mano Raju The murder of George Floyd by Derek Chauvin, a former Minneapolis...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – (628)249-7946 – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits on Murder Charge, Agrees that Public Defender Client Acted in Self-Defense SAN FRANCISCO – Today, a San Francisco jury found a Fresno man not guilty of murder by virtue of self-defense. Although the man...Read More

Statement by San Francisco Elected Public Defender Mano Raju to the Special Committee on the Office of the Attorney General “Good Afternoon Honorable Assemblymembers and thank you for the opportunity to be part of this conversation. My name is Mano Raju, and I am the elected Public Defender of San Francisco.  I’m honored to represent...Read More

Statement from San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju on the Guilty Verdict of Derek Chauvin “I spent last night reflecting on all of the advocacy – in the streets, and in halls of power – that led to this moment.   I want to honor everyone who participated in the summer’s global protests that led...Read More

Reporter Bob Egelko of the San Francisco Chronicle reported that, on April 12, 2021, a San Francisco jury determined that U.S. military veteran George Kennedy, 49, was not guilty of two felony assaults because he was suffering from a mental health crisis and was unaware of his actions. Deputy Public Defender Martina Avalos and her...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 13, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 ** PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits U.S. Military Veteran on Assault Charges San Francisco Public Defender Showed that their Client was Suffering a Mental Health Crisis and was Unconscious SAN FRANCISCO – On Monday, April 12, 2021, a San...Read More

In this Op Ed published in The Nation, San Francisco Deputy Public Defender Carla Gomez, Hena Mansori of the Bronx Defenders, and Sophia Gurulé of Cook County Public Defenders penned these powerful critiques of President Biden’s “American Dream and Promise Act” otherwise known as HR 6. While the bill has many good measures, certain parts...Read More

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office released previously unseen video surveillance footage of what happened the morning of March 17, 2021, at UN Plaza, when SF Defender client Steven Jenkins was arrested for hitting Xiao Zhen Xie at the corner of Market and 7th Streets. KTVU’s Andre Torrez reports on the video showing Mr. Jenkins...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 8, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS STATEMENT** Deputy Public Defender Eric McBurney’s Statement on Case Involving His Client Steven Jenkins Includes Previously Unreleased Video Surveillance “My name is Eric McBurney, the Deputy Public Defender representing Steven Jenkins, who was arrested on March 17, 2021,...Read More