News and Press Releases

December 14, 2021 We recognize that the Mayor and many of our elected leaders feel pressured to address issues that have been amplified in the press, but the Mayor’s proposal to massively expand police presence in San Francisco is regressive and harmful to those who are already underserved and overpoliced. It also cuts against the promises Mayor Breed made to...

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 – The trial of David Cordero...

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 of accused people in jail...

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 run accusation which appears to...

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 lesser included charges of the...