Thx to our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Social Workers for making hygiene kits for our most vulnerable clients who visit our office. Many clients struggle w/meeting their basic needs & being system-involved is more destabilizing. The kits, sourced by staff contributions, offer them support & dignity.

Sign up for updates from our MAGIC teams in the Bayview & the Fillmore. Here are the latest community calendars w/resources supporting students, families, justice-involved community members and more! *BMAGIC: t.e2ma.net/message/jjhh... *Mo'MAGIC: t.e2ma.net/message/j7f4... @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov

A wonderful time connecting w/community/civic leaders at the City Hall celebration of Latinx Heritage Month. In SF, our diversity is our strength. Congrats to honorees Rodrigo Lopez (Mission St. Vendor Assoc.), Claudia Arevali (SEIU Local 2015), & Dr. Estela Garcia (Instituto Familiar de la Raza).

This Latinx-Hispanic Heritage Month, we celebrate the rich cultural diversity of our communities & their contributions to our country. Public defenders thank & join our community partners as we stand up for the rights & wellbeing of our families, friends & neighbors. #ImmigrantRightsAreHumanRights

The death penalty is inhumane, racist & expensive—yet CA has the largest death row in the U.S.: 565 individuals. Join me Thurs 9/11, 2pm @ SF City Hall w/ "Dead Man Walking" author Sister Helen Prejean, @jackiefielder.bsky.social & others to urge @governor.ca.gov to commute ALL death row sentences.

Next stop: Gov’s desk! #AB321, the #BIDAct, passed out of the #CALeg. This bill would allow judges to review ALL relevant evidence before deciding if a “wobbler” is a misdemeanor or felony. Proud to co-sponsor w/Californians for Safety & Justice + big thx to author @asmnickschultz.bsky.social!

Much appreciation to #BIDAct author @asmnickschultz.bsky.social. Check out our infographic to learn more about why the BID Act is needed.

When prosecutors overcharge cases but dismiss the case just before trial, it demonstrates how DAs regularly charge cases based on evidence that won’t hold up to a jury’s scrutiny. It also shows how public defenders are critical to preserving fairness in our courts. #FundPublicDefense

#AB468 is a distraction exploiting the #LAfires. It increases penalties in our communities & doesn't invest in fire preparedness or $ assistance to fire victims. Urge #CAleg to prioritize #PreparednessOverPunishment and reject #AB468! ‪Take Action: bit.ly/oppose-ab468 @ellabakercenter.bsky.social

🚨 We’re excited about the new CA Police Records Access Project from @ucbids.bsky.social — a public database tracking police violence & misconduct across CA. It's a big step for transparency & for helping communities stay informed about officers' past misconduct. Check it out: 🔎 clean.calmatters.org

It was wonderful to catch up with Santa Barbara County Assistant Public Defender Lea Villegas. Fun fact -- she used to be an intern with our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov office years ago. Congrats on your many accomplishments Lea!

Honored to speak last week at S.F. City Hall to celebrate South Asian History Month, a month dedicated to commemorating the rich history and contributions of Bay Area immigrants from the Maldives, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan and India. 🧵 youtu.be/ovNyTE4jGQw

In remembrance of Mario Woods, who should have turned 36 this week. His mother, Ms. Woods, is one of the strongest & most inspiring people that I know. 🧵 youtu.be/5ywlmuNHfMk?...

Many thx to Safety & Justice Network & ‪ @pretrialjustice.bsky.social for the opportunity to speak on the “Challenging the Harmful Use of Bench Warrants” webinar. I was honored to talk about how courts can end the inequitable practice of jailing people who miss court: sjcexchange.org/viewdocument...

It was a joy to meet w/our Brightstar fellows to kick off a project where system-impacted leaders will develop a proposal to create job pathways for @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov clients. We believe in the potential & possibilities for our clients to thrive. Thanks to @macfound.org for your support.

Huge thx to @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social for featuring our innovative SF Public Defenders in *3* recent episodes! 🔹Hayley Upshaw: The devastating impact of crimmigration on kids 🔹Angela Chan: The legacy of CA sanctuary laws 🔹Sujung Kim & Lilah Wolf: A groundbreaking RJA win 👉👉publicdefenseless.com

See this week’s Mo’MAGIC community resource calendar — financial support for education, legal/justice matters + expungements, mental health, tech support, jobs, community events, and more! Click here & scroll to the bottom to opt in to receive these weekly newsletters: t.e2ma.net/message/bhen...

San Francisco has one of the strongest policies in the U.S. to curb racially-biased traffic stops. Pretext stops are dangerous + ineffective—and SFPD is now limited in using them. Learn more + know your rights: tinyurl.com/KYRPretext + EndBiasedStopsSF.org

SFPD should not be enabling the abuses of ICE agents or unlawfully sharing sensitive surveillance data w/any federal agencies. The public deserves transparency & integrity from our police dept + a plan to verify the ID of any person attempting to take our immigrant friends, family, and neighbors.🧵

Although operations have resumed at Salinas Valley State Prison, the importance of hunger strikes there--protesting lockdowns at 21 CDCR prisons--can't be understated. These lockdowns violated people’s basic human rights and cruelly cut off families from their loved ones.

It costs roughly $130k a year to incarcerate someone in CA. While it's understandable to want to use every tool available to prevent more harm from coming to fire victims, that money would be far better spent on direct support. Tell #CAleg to vote NO on #AB468. Take Action: bit.ly/oppose-ab468.

@sfpublicdefender.sf.gov won several recent acquittals at trial, showing that the SF DA is charging the city’s most vulnerable ppl—often BIPOC—based on evidence that doesn’t hold up under scrutiny instead of allowing ppl access to services to help them long term. Read more: tinyurl.com/PubDefTrials

I was honored to give the keynote address at One Treasure Island SF’s Construction Training Program graduation. I applaud the valuable work OTI does in providing job & career opportunities to ppl who have faced barriers to employment, including system-impacted ppl. Congrats to the 2025 graduates!

A beautiful day celebrating SF Pride 2025! Our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov crew showed up to show our love, respect & unity w/the LGBTQ+ community. We’ll always stand up for your rights! Big shout out to our LGBTQ Affinity Group for organizing our contingent. #NoCages #NoBorders #NoClosets #DueProcess

Public defenders protect your Constitutional due process rights. When prosecutors get it wrong (which is often), public defenders safeguard against wrongful convictions. #ProtectDueProcess #FundPublicDefense @manorajupd.bsky.social @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Made in collaboration with Clutch Content.

@sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Immigration Unit attorney Luis Angel speaks about our commitment to defending immigrants’ rights in the face of unlawful ICE raids and racist travel bans. Thanks to ‪@arocaction.bsky.social,‬ @cair-sfba.bsky.social‬, @ccijustice.bsky.social and many others. #PowerNotPanic

Wonderful to cheer on SF’s first professional women’s basketball team, @wgoldenstate.bsky.social Valkyries! Thanks to our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov LGBTQ affinity group for organizing this fun night out.

We appreciate that more than 70 organizations have come together to demand increased funding for the @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov office. The community is united: Justice and dignity must be resourced. #FundPublicDefense

At a time when immigrants are under attack, I'm grateful to Roadmap to Peace for giving me & Francisco Ugarte, head of the @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Immigration Unit, the opportunity to deliver a #KnowYourRights presentation. Thanks RTP for your invaluable work supporting young ppl in our community.

Big thanks to the Washington State Office of Public Defense for the opportunity to speak to public defense leaders about the high-quality representation @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov provides, and our holistic practices that help our clients thrive. #PublicDefenseLeadershipInstitute

Our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov Mo’MAGIC program held its annual Summer Kickoff today at City Hall & Civic Center, bringing together camps from the Fillmore, Western Addition, and Tenderloin for a day of fun, friends, learning, and food. 🧵

Please read this @dailyjournalcorp.bsky.social op-ed about our office’s unacceptably high atty caseloads & why we're limiting the # of new cases we take on. Thanks to @seattleulaw.bsky.social's Prof. Robert Boruchowitz & @korematsuctr.bsky.social's Prof. Robert S. Chang. tinyurl.com/PubDefDJ

It was great to be on the @pdefenselesspod.bsky.social podcast this week to talk about why our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov office has declared itself unavailable to take on new cases 1 day a week, and why funding public defense actually saves money and makes us safer. tinyurl.com/PubDefPod

Today we rallied w/ @ccijustice.bsky.social, Contra Costa Coalition for Immig. Rights & SF Rapid Response Network to stand up to ICE intimidation at immigration courts. Urgent resources are needed to expand legal services, ensure due process & keep families together. 🧵#knowyourrights #ICEoutofcourts

Today we rallied w/ @ccijustice.bsky.social, Contra Costa Coalition for Immig. Rights & SF Rapid Response Network to stand up to ICE intimidation at immigration courts. Urgent resources are needed to expand legal services, ensure due process & keep families together. 🧵#knowyourrights #ICEoutofcourts

At a time when immigrants are under attack, we @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov are so grateful for the work of @the-ilrc.bsky.social. We deeply value our collaboration in this fight. Congrats ILRC Burton Award honorees @repespaillat.bsky.social, CA Padilla Defenders & keynote Irma Herrera. #ImmigrantRights

Thank you to Leadership SF for the invitation to talk about the vital contributions that @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov makes to public safety. I appreciated the insightful questions & enthusiastic reception to our work to defend constitutional rights & help people break the cycles of incarceration. 🧵

We ❤️ Due Process!

I saw the legendary Dorsey Nunn, co-founder of @allofusornonehq.bsky.social, at the SF Archdiocese Restorative Justice Summit & asked him to share some words of wisdom. Dorsey has dedicated 40+ yrs to the liberation & advancement of incarcerated people. His new book is What Kind of Bird Can't Fly?🧵

In the news, April 28-May 9 @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov weighed in on how arrests & prosecutions are up (esp. quality-of-life charges) & our caseloads are the highest in the Bay Area. We’re now limiting the number of cases we take. More on immigration/Sanctuary; and alternatives to ankle monitoring.

On this #MothersDay, we’re thinking of incarcerated mothers who are not able to hold their loved ones, and we're celebrating groups like @essie4justice.bsky.social for bailing out Black mothers who were stuck in jail before trial simply because they couldn’t afford bail. #nationalbailout

It was great to hear from a panel of esteemed, system-impacted individuals about how public defenders can ensure we are centering our clients in our work. Thanks, CPDA for an excellent management seminar @ucberkeleylaw.bsky.social.

Each year, I'm proud to present our @sfpublicdefender.sf.gov calendar & annual report. The 2025 theme is “Celebrating the Power of Community,” allowing us to sing the praises of our community partners, who give us strength & inspiration. 🧵 See the full report: sfpublicdefender.org/wp-content/u...

In the news April 7-25, 2025 — Defending rights of ppl who are poor/unhoused/immigrants/wrongly accused/facing serious charges/sick in jail/seeking treatment/shackled w/ankle monitors & subject to surveillance. Advocating for housing/healthcare/liberty/fairness. Demanding integrity from the govt. 🧵

I was honored to join a panel @macfound.org Safety & Justice Network to discuss how courts can end the inequitable practice of jailing ppl who miss court. Our clients already face numerous challenges and often can’t take off work, have childcare needs, or lack access to a phone/computer. 1/

Join @sfpublicdefender.bsky.social's Jessie Seyfer in conversation Fri. 4/25 w/ civil rights lawyer & author Alec Karakatsanis (@equalityalec.bsky.social) about his new book, “Copaganda: How Police and the Media Manipulate Our News”. @34Trinity RSVP here: actionnetwork.org/events/in-co...

Our office cautions against SF moving away from harm reduction strategies as a framework for recovery. It’s important to note that harm reduction includes a full spectrum of treatment & service options, such as low barrier services to prevent overdoses & providing support to isolated individuals. 🧵

Listen to remarks from Jennifer Friedman, an attorney in our Immigration Unit, who spoke out recently at a press conference against the IRS’s sharing of information about undocumented individuals with ICE. Our office and our allies are meeting such threats with power and organizing, not panic.

Francisco Ugarte, who leads our office’s Immigration Unit, spoke on @vanguardnewsgroup.bsky.social’s Everyday Injustice podcast about the Unit’s work fighting deportations and why he sees hope and resistance rising in response to Trump’s attacks on immigrants. Listen: soundcloud.com/davisvanguar...

We applaud the SF Board of Supervisors for unanimously co-sponsoring & passing @myrnamelgard7.bsky.social rd7.bsky.social’s resolution condemning Trump’s unlawful use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of people without due process. Our office proudly spoke in support of this measure.