FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 14, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office | Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** Charges Dismissed Against Motorist Brutalized by SFPD Officers After Accidental Collision in 2018 Police claimed the man’s motorcycle pinned an officer in a car door, but video surveillance being released today shows otherwise SAN FRANCISCO –...Read More

On December 2, 2021, Public Defenders presented at a hearing called by San Francisco Supervisor Hillary Ronen to discuss the urgent need for San Francisco Superior Court to open more courtrooms and prioritize criminal jury trials to address the growing backlog of trials that have passed their legal deadline. The backlog has also left hundreds...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 23, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Longtime Mission Resident Wrongly Accused of a Hit-and-Run  SAN FRANCISCO — Last week, a San Francisco jury found 76-year-old Carlos Olivares Herrera, a longtime resident of the Mission District, not guilty of a hit and...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 22, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Elderly Man of Attempted Murder in Act of Self-Defense Against Ex-Wife Jury hangs heavily towards innocence on other charges SAN FRANCISCO – A San Francisco jury acquitted 81-year-old Damien Alvarez of attempted murder and all...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 18, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT:  SF Public Defender’s Office | Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org | (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** Judge Rules California Department of Corrections Inflicted Cruel and Unusual Punishment on Incarcerated People at San Quentin During COVID-19 Pandemic Historic ruling comes nearly 18 months after a COVID outbreak claimed 29 lives, but offers little relief...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 10, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (628) 249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Man Who Called 911 After Arguing with an Aggressive Repair Shop Owner SAN FRANCISCO – Today, a San Francisco jury acquitted a man (whose name we are omitting by request) on charges stemming from...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

A Message from Public Defender Mano Raju: “I am honored to accept the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for our CopMonitor database. Thank you to the Society of Professional Journalist – Freedom of Information Committee of Northern California for recognizing the work of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office in our active pursuit of...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