Impact Justice and the SF Public Defender’s Office announced the launch of the Homecoming Project in San Francisco. The Homecoming Project pairs people who are recently released from prison with hosts in the community who can offer a spare room in their home for six months.
A San Francisco jury has acquitted 29-year-old Wyatt Johnson, who was arrested in a multi-agency law enforcement raid at Jefferson Park on Feb. 26. The jury unanimously acquitted him of all charges on Oct. 22.
Deputy Public Defender Nuha Abusamra showed a judge SFPD body-worn camera footage, which revealed that SFPD officers had put hands on Leal before he even had a chance to respond to a verbal command. On Oct. 29, a San Francisco judge dismissed charges against Luis Leal, 29, who was arrested on June 8 in front of […]
In May 2025, the Public Defender’s Office alerted the Court that we would be declaring unavailable one day per week in misdemeanor cases and select felony matters. This decision reflected the fact that our caseloads far exceeded those of our peers in the Bay Area as well as prevailing caseload standards from the American Bar […]
The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, along with Californians for Safety and Justice—co-sponsors of AB 321, the Better Informed Decisions (BID) Act—are celebrating that California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 321 into law on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025. This bill, authored by Assemblymember Nick Schultz (D-Burbank), ensures that judges in the state’s criminal courts have more […]
Today, an SF judge ruled that the teen accused of shooting and attempting to rob 49er Ricky Pearsall will remain in juvenile court instead of being transferred to adult court.
Public Defenders tried to get the man into a Mental Health Diversion Program, but the District Attorney’s Office objected. Instead, the case went to trial where a jury fully acquitted him.
Prosecutors tried to eke a felony plea out of an unhoused man who defended himself against a drunk security guard who challenged him to an alley fight. Instead, he demanded a trial. Public Defender Tal Klement pushed for a dismissal, and prosecutors finally saw that they had no case.
San Francisco jury verdicts in three cases reveal a troubling pattern: vulnerable San Franciscans are being jailed and prosecuted based on weak or misunderstood evidence, rather than offered help. Juries saw through the flaws in the prosecutions and acquitted individuals who should never have been charged.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 18, 2025 MEDIA CONTACT: PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** S.F. Public Defender’s MAGIC Program Hosted its “Summer Kickoff” Bringing Together Youth for Fun, Learning, and Friendship SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office’s MAGIC program hosted its annual Summer Kickoff for local youth summer camps from the Fillmore, Western Addition, […]