News and Press Releases

by Jeff Adachi March 20, 2008, featured on BeyondChron.org San Francisco’s gang problem is not new. In the 1850s, the “Sydney Ducks,” a gang of ex-cons from Australia, reportedly committed countless murders, robberies, assaults, and arsons in Sydney-Town, an area that encompassed much of today’s Financial District. A group called the “Committee of Vigilance” responded to the violence by conducting...

SAN FRANCISCO – Paul Addis, once accused of attempting to set fire to San Francisco’s historic Grace Cathedral has been released from custody after pleading no contest to reduced misdemeanor charges. Addis had originally been charged with a felony count of attempted arson, felony charges of possessing explosives and incendiary devices, and a misdemeanor count of altering an imitation firearm....

San Francisco, CA – The San Francisco Behavioral Health Court (BHC) has been selected by the Council on Mentally Ill Offenders (COMIO) to receive a 2008 Best Practices Award. BHC was one of three projects selected for this statewide honor. BHC redirects mentally ill offenders from jail and into intensive case management programs in the community mental health system.  BHC...

San Francisco, CA – Public Defender Jeff Adachi has been named a recipient of the 2007 California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Award. California Lawyer magazine will recognize Public Defender Adachi for the impact of his work in the field of prisoner reentry. The recipients of the CLAY Awards are featured in the March 2008 issue of California Lawyer. In...

As published in  The Recorder, February 4, 2008. by Evan Hill Prompted by a case out of the public defender’s office, a San Francisco supervisor is pushing to change the rules on accessing the city’s surveillance camera footage. Gerardo Sandoval, a former deputy public defender, presented the legislation to the board on Jan. 8, but off-stage wrangling has stalled the bill...