News and Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** 16 Public Defender Clients Graduate Behavioral Health Court First Virtual Graduation Celebrates Participants as they Strive to Heal Amidst Pandemic SAN FRANCISCO – Today, in a ceremony held on zoom and presided over by Superior Court Judge Charles Crompton, sixteen clients of the...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 26, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** San Francisco Public Defender calls for release of Ricardo Vasquez Cruz, one of only 3 remaining ICE detainees at Yuba County Jail amidst COVID outbreak SAN FRANCISCO – The San Francisco Public Defender is urgently calling for ICE to release its client Ricardo...

On August 12, 2021, SF Weekly featured as its cover story – Jury-Mandering: San Francisco may soon pilot a new program aimed at balancing the scales of justice by increasing juror diveristy – with artwork by Olivia Wise. The in-depth article “Balancing the Scales of Justice” by Lily Sinkovitz discusses our Be the Jury pilot program, which aims to create...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 12, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – pubdef-mediarelations@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 ** PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Man of Misdemeanor Domestic Violence  Defense Presents Case of Self-Defense SAN FRANCISCO – This week, a jury acquitted a San Francisco man of misdemeanor domestic violence after Deputy Public Defender Cooper Findlay presented a case of self-defense that ended...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 8, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits Graffiti Artist of Assault Charges Stemming from Vigilante Incident Public Defender presented case of self-defense SAN FRANCISCO – Today, a San Francisco jury acquitted Anthony Portillo, 29, of charges stemming from a 2017 incident in which Mr. Portillo fought off...