FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 25, 2021 CONTACT: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 **PRESS RELEASE** Adachi Project Releases From Inside – A Documentary Short About the Psychological Impact of Being Caught in the County Jail System During COVID SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the Adachi Project released From Inside — a short film...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 4, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – (628)249-7946 – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org **PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits on Murder Charge, Agrees that Public Defender Client Acted in Self-Defense SAN FRANCISCO – Today, a San Francisco jury found a Fresno man not guilty of murder by virtue of self-defense. Although the man...Read More

Statement by San Francisco Elected Public Defender Mano Raju to the Special Committee on the Office of the Attorney General “Good Afternoon Honorable Assemblymembers and thank you for the opportunity to be part of this conversation. My name is Mano Raju, and I am the elected Public Defender of San Francisco.  I’m honored to represent...Read More

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 13, 2021 MEDIA CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office – Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org – (628)249-7946 ** PRESS RELEASE** SF Jury Acquits U.S. Military Veteran on Assault Charges San Francisco Public Defender Showed that their Client was Suffering a Mental Health Crisis and was Unconscious SAN FRANCISCO – On Monday, April 12, 2021, a San...Read More

For Immediate Release: March 25, 2021  Media contacts: San Francisco Public Defender’s Office / (628)249-7946 / Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org  Civil Rights Corps / Amber English Coleman / Media@CivilRightsCorps.org  **PRESS RELEASE** California Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Pretrial Rights in Re Kenneth Humphrey Decision Court unanimously rules California’s money bail system unconstitutional, reiterates that detention should only...Read More

A Message from Public Defender Mano Raju: “I am honored to accept the James Madison Freedom of Information Award for our CopMonitor database. Thank you to the Society of Professional Journalist – Freedom of Information Committee of Northern California for recognizing the work of the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office in our active pursuit of...Read More

DATE: March 2, 2021 CONTACT: SF Public Defender’s Office, Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org; (628)249-7946 Statement from Public Defender Mano Raju Opposing the Call for More Prosecutors to Address the Fentanyl Health Crisis “At a time when our communities are fighting for their very survival in the midst of the worst economic and public health crisis of this century,...Read More

On February 16th, the Adachi Project launched DEFENDER-Vol.00, a digital art+media platform that includes the documentary short called “One Eleven Taylor (During a Pandemic) — an intense 11-minute view of life inside the halfway house at 111 Taylor Street in San Francisco, which is operated by the private prison corporation GEO Group. The films shows...Read More

Date: February 4, 2021 / Media Contact: Valerie Ibarra (628)249-7946 Valerie.Ibarra@sfgov.org SF Public Defender Launches ‘The Adachi Project’ First-of-Its-Kind Media Initiative Spotlights Public Defenders and Underrepresented Perspectives of theCriminal Legal System in Tribute to Late-Public Defender and Filmmaker Jeff Adachi SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office launched “The Adachi Project”, a...Read More

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...Read More