AB 1917 requires prosecutors to explain their reasoning to the court when adding back criminal charges that were dismissed by a judge at a preliminary hearing for insufficient evidence. This narrow but important procedural change will increase fairness and court efficiency by respecting judicial decisions. AB 1917 (Schultz) Respect Judicial Decisions Act was sponsored by S.F....Read More

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...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 4, 2024 MEDIA CONTACTS:  Jessie Seyfer | SF Public Defender’s Office | PDR-MediaRelations@sfgov.org | (628) 271-9800 Will Matthews | Californians for Safety and Justice | will@safeandjust.org **PRESS RELEASE** San Francisco Public Defender’s Office Celebrates 25 Years of its Clean Slate Expungement Program State laws recently expanded eligibility for cleaning up criminal...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  May 16, 2023MEDIA CONTACTS:  Jessie Seyfer, SF Public Defender’s Office | (415) 851-2212 | PubDef-MediaRelations@sfgov.org   Sepi Esfahlani, M Strategic Communications | (714) 746-7090 | se@m-consultants.net S.F. Implements New State Law Allowing Thousands of Previously Ineligible Individuals to Expunge Conviction Records SF Supervisors, Public Defender, State’s Leading Advocates for Community Safety Spoke at...Read More