Today, I spoke w @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social Chief Public Defender of @acdefenders.bsky.social We discussed how the office is handling rising caseloads due to Prop 36 and how they are dealing with ICE enforcement around the Alameda County Courthouse open.spotify.com/episode/0P7L...

District Attorney Dan Dow, the President of the California District Attorneys Association, posted blatantly racist remarks about New York City's Mayor-Elect. CDAA has offered no condemnation and no apology. Their silence speaks volumes. www.latimes.com/california/s...

Every single constitutional right you thought you had, is now at risk. Every. Single. One. Now more than ever, we need advocates, community, politicians, public defenders, EVERYONE…to fight & protect the rights of Black & Brown people that are being targeted by this administration. #LFG #Defender

New in @capitolweekly.bsky.social - @katechatfield.bsky.social and @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social on getting ICE out of California courthouses: capitolweekly.net/ice-raids-in...

ICE in courthouses interferes with justice, both for defendants and for victims. Read the story: t.co/7556qY5Ewa #KeepICEOutOfCourts #ProtectDueProcess #ImmigrantRights #DueProcess @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social @npr.org

Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods and Contra Costa County Public Defender Ellen McDonnell were two board members featured in an article by the Daily Journal covering yesterday’s rally for the expansion of the Racial Justice Act. Read more (paywall): www.dailyjournal.com/article/3871...

This week's Member Spotlight is on Samantha Mead, Dep. Alternate Public Defender for the County of Los Angeles. “CPDA has been essential to my growth through its training + community. I’m committed to giving back by helping strengthen support, resources, and collaboration for defenders statewide.”

CPDA Exec. Dir. Kate Chatfield + Alameda County Public Defender + CPDA Board Member Brendon Woods discuss why ICE raids in state courts must end in an op-ed for Capitol Weekly: “These raids sabotage the integrity of our courts and undermine our democracy.” Read: capitolweekly.net/ice-raids-in...

Alameda County DA is moving to send more kids to adult court-a major shift from past policy. @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social says kids deserve rehabilitation, not decades in adult prison. Judges will make the final call. Read more: shorturl.at/VNVsv #JuvenileJustice #YouthJustice #EndMassIncarceration

Honored to receive the Dorsey Award. Any award I receive is because of my amazing colleagues at the Alameda County Public Defender's Office & the clients we are fortunate enough to serve. Thank you @americanbar.org‬ "ABA honors 2025 public service award recipients" www.abajournal.com/web/article/...

Thank you @ktvu2.bsky.social for having me on this morning to talk about our Annual Public Defender Community Block Party happening Saturday, May 31 from 12-4 at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Food, 50 community partners, DJ Rack-12, kids fun zone, immigration know your rights and more! Come thru!

A program paying California jurors $100 a day would end abruptly due to Newsom’s new budget. We spend $14 billion to incarcerate mostly Black and Brown people and we can't spend $27 million to make sure our juries are more diverse! www.newsfromthestates.com/article/prog...

We’re hiring three new full-time immigration defense attorneys to join our immigration unit as a direct response to the federal government’s attack on our community members. Join us in fighting detention, deportation, & separation! #NoHumanIsIlegal #DefendImmigrants

Is this your "law and order" president? Can you imagine the outcry we would hear from the right if a democrat did this? But instead, all we get is silence.... www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

How about we monitor this administration’s social media accounts for anti-blackness! And deport them. There will not be a single one left. www.npr.org/2025/04/09/g...

We will be staffing up to protect our immigrant community members from the attacks of this current administration. Thank you to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for providing much needed funding for Immigration Defense. #HereToStay #NoHumanIsIllegal www.kqed.org/news/1203400...

Had a great time teaching LYRIC - Learn Your Rights In California - last week at Oakland High. It was one of our largest LYRICS ever. Over 120 students in attendance. Knowing your rights now is more important than ever. Thank you for having us. #KnowYourRights #LYRIC #Defender

Thank you Alameda County Board of Supervisors & CAO! Special Thank You to Supervisor Marquez and Supervisor Bas, the Chairs of the Alameda County Together For All Ad-hoc Committee for making sure that the residents of Alameda County are protected during these times. #HereToStay #NoHumanIsIllegal

New year, new shirt. No matter what this administration throws at us, we’re ready. We will fight for our clients. We will fight for your rights. We will fight to protect our immigrant community members. Paid by the government, to fight the government, we fight for you! #WeFightForYou #Defenders

The state’s leaders are overlooking our legal system’s single most important means of preventing mass deportations: public defenders. This is a must read and we've been saying it for years #FundPublicDefense www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Another article about how terrible Prop 36 will be. Yes - we will be sending people to jails & prison for petty theft & drug possession. People will die - instead of getting the false promise of treatment offered by the proponents of Prop 36 #CareNotCages calmatters.org/justice/2024...

For those that believed the lies told by prosecutors & law enforcement about Prop 36 – please read this article. Private Prison CEO’s are thrilled. Prop 36 will not provide treatment it will lead to more people being incarcerated & more being deported. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Remember this article. Remember this when law enforcement & prosecutors say that Prop 36 and other harsh sentencing laws were responsible for turning this crisis around. Expanded treatment & intervention is what has worked not laws that send more people to prison www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/12/15/d...

We need public defenders more than ever. We need people to defend our clients against the harms of the criminal punishment system. We need people to fight mass incarceration, to fight systemic racism, to fight for our communities. Join us! Apply by 12/9 acgov.org/hrs

We need public defenders more than ever. We need people to defend our clients against the harms of the criminal punishment system. We need people to fight mass incarceration, to fight systemic racism, to fight for our communities. Join us! Apply by 12/9 acgov.org/hrs

New platform, same message – if you really care about mass incarceration and addressing the harms caused by this broken criminal legal system then #FundPublicDefense #EndMassIncarceration #CareNotCages www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

How do you want to use your law degree? If you want to fight mass incarceration, fight racism, fight poverty, fight for liberation, fight for your communities – Then Join Us! Apply by 12/9 #Defender #EndMassIncarceration acgov.org/hrs

How do you want to use your law degree? If you want to fight mass incarceration, fight racism, fight poverty, fight for liberation, fight for your communities – Then Join Us! Apply by 12/9 #Defender #EndMassIncarceration acgov.org/hrs

Today as we gather with family and friends – we are also sending love to the 1.9 million people incarcerated in jails & prisons in the US. We see you. #EndMassIncarceration #CareNotCages

yeah...today I am thankful to be moving to @bsky.app