News and Press Releases

January 5, 2021 Media Contact: Public Information Officer – Valerie Ibarra – (628)249-7946 – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org SF Public Defender Mano Raju’s Statement on the Arrest of Troy McAlister “Tragically, two lives were lost in our midst on New Year’s Eve. Our hearts go out to the families of Hanako Abe and Elizabeth Platt. My office represents Troy McAlister, the man arrested...

Attorneys urge Gov. Newsom to stop involuntary transfers from San Quentin prison After a Federal Judge ordered the population of San Quentin State Prison to be reduced by 50% in order to protect people from the coronavirus which has claimed the lives 28 incarcerated people and 1 corrections officer at the facility, advocates learned that some were now being forced...

Amid virus outbreaks, majority of medically high-risk prisoners were not considered for release In an SF Chronicle Exclusive, Nora Mishanec reported that despite calls from health officials and activists to reduce the state prison population in the midst of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic, the state did not prioritize the medically-vulnerable who are often older and have a low risk of...

Grand jury indicts SFPD officer in connection with 2019 shooting Megan Cassidy reported in the SF Chronicle that a grand jury had indicted SFPD Officer Christopher Flores for shooting Jamaica Hampton while he was on the ground after another SFPD officer had shot him on a Mission District street. The injuries resulted in Jamaica Hampton having one of his legs...

Bob Egelko reported in the San Francisco Chronicle on the latest development in an ongoing joint class action lawsuit against I.C.E. regarding its response to the COVID-19 pandemic at two California immigrant detention facilities. On December 3, 2020, Federal Judge Vincent Chhabria called the conduct of officials at I.C.E. and GEO Group – the private corporation which operates the Mesa...