August 14, 2020 PRESS CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – (628)249-7946 – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org SF Public Defender Wins Acquittal in First Trial since COVID-19 Crisis SAN FRANCISCO – On August 13, a man who was held in custody for over a year pre-trial was found not guilty of residential burglary.  This was  the first completed jury...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 11, 2020 CONTACT: pubdef-mediarelations@sfgov.org ***PRESS RELEASE*** San Francisco Public Defender Successfully Frees Client; Fights Back Against a Life-in-Prison Charge SAN FRANCISCO – Yesterday, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office secured freedom for a man who spent nearly 5 months in jail for an incident wherein he acted in self-defense. The agreed...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  August 6, 2020  Media Contacts  Sam Lew, Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area slew@lccrsf.org, 415-272-8022  Valerie Ibarra, San Francisco Public Defenders valerie.ibarra@sfgov.org, 628-249-7946 American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California press@aclunc.org, (415) 621-2493 American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California communications@aclusocal.org, (626) 755-4129 ***PRESS RELEASE*** Judge Orders ICE...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 3, 2020 Contact:         Public Defender’s Office, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org  Mayor’s Office of Communications, mayorspressoffice@sfgov.org  ***PRESS RELEASE*** MAYOR LONDON BREED AND PUBLIC DEFENDER MANO RAJU ANNOUNCE YOUNG DEFENDERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM Paid internship program, created in partnership with the Mayor’s Office, Public Defender’s Office, Human Rights Commission, and Teachers 4 Social Justice, provides...Read More

Effort to Release People Incarcerated at San Quentin Moves Forward In Marin County Superior Court  Habeas petitions allege that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation actions constitute “cruel and unusual punishment” as decisions led to an explosive and deadly Covid-19 outbreak at San Quentin  SAN FRANCISCO – A Marin County Superior Court judge has ordered the...Read More

Broad Coalition of Legal and Medical Experts Urge SF Courts to Restore ‘Zero Bail’ Amid Growing Number of COVID-19 Cases in SF Jails  SAN FRANCISCO – San Francisco County jail has seen a 40% increase in positive COVID-19 cases since June 18, 2020.  This surge prompted a broad coalition – including the Bar Association of San...Read More

July 6, 2020 Dear Governor Newsom, This is an immeasurably difficult time. With 2,419 incarcerated persons with active cases ofCOVID-19 in California prisons statewide and over 1,500 people who are incarcerated or work inSan Quentin testing positive, I am strongly urging you to exercise your authority to release peoplefrom California’s overcrowded prisons and to take...Read More

SAN FRANCISCO – With 2,582 incarcerated persons with active cases of COVID-19 in California prisons statewide, and over 1,100 people incarcerated in San Quentin testing positive, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office is mobilizing to free people as quickly as possible to prevent the continuing spread. The outbreak at San Quentin came after CDCR transferred...Read More

Public Defenders Call for Major Statewide Police Reform June 25, 2020 – Public Defenders sent this letter to Governor Newsom and California Lawmakers today calling for major statewide police reforms, seeking “meaningful, radical change” in line with the movement of the moment.  Download the full letter here: Public-Defenders-Recommendations-for-CA-Policing-ReformDownloadRead More

ICE CONFIRMS MEDICAL PROVIDER AT MESA VERDE DETENTION CENTER TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID-19, EXPOSING ITS CONTINUED FAILURE TO PROTECT HEALTH DURING PANDEMIC SAN FRANCISCO – On June 19, 2020, government lawyers disclosed that a medical provider at the Mesa Verde Detention Center in Bakersfield, CA, tested positive for COVID-19. The disclosure came at a hearing...Read More