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

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

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

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2021  Media contacts: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office / (628)249-7946 / Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org  Civil Rights Corps / Amber English Coleman / Media@CivilRightsCorps.org  **PRESS RELEASE** California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Pretrial Rights in Re Kenneth Humphrey Decision Court unanimously rules California’s money bail system unconstitutional, reiterates that detention should only...Read More

DATE: March 15, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office – PUBDEF-MediaRelations@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 Statement by the Public Defenders Coalition for Immigrant Justice on the Introduction of the U.S. Citizenship Act, the American Dream and Promise Act, and the Farm Workforce Modernization Act Public Defenders Urge Federal Government to Stop Criminalizing Immigrants SAN FRANCISCO...Read More

DATE: March 2, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org; (628)249-7946 Statement from Public Defender Mano Raju Opposing the Call for More Prosecutors to Address the Fentanyl Health Crisis “At a time when our communities are fighting for their very survival in the midst of the worst economic and public health crisis of this century,...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – pubdef-mediarelations@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Public Defender Client Deemed Not Guilty; Jury is Hung 10-2 due to Evidence of a False Accusation SAN FRANCISCO – On February 24, 2021, a San Francisco jury returned a split decision weighing heavily in favor...Read More

DATE: February 18, 2021 MEDIA CONTACTS: SF Public Defender’s Office, 628.249-7946, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org ACLU SoCal Communications & Media Advocacy: communications@aclusocal.org, 626-755-4129 Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area, Sam Lew, slew@lccrsf.org, 415-272-8022 Ninth Circuit Affirms Likely Constitutional Violation in Detention of Immigrants During Pandemic Rules ICE Neglected Immigrants; Upholds Order Establishing Process for Considering Release During Pandemic SAN...Read More