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Public defenders, providers and residents urge supervisors not to cut Public Defender funding
Summary
Dozens of public commenters — including the public defender and community providers — pressed the Board to restore or retain funding for the Public Defender’s Office and associated programs, warning cuts would raise costs and harm services for juveniles and adults.
Speakers at the public comment period urged the Board of Supervisors not to cut funding for the Public Defender’s Office, describing direct community impacts if programs and staff are reduced.
Public Defender Adachi said the office faced a $1,600,000 gap and warned that layoffs would require transferring cases to private counsel at a higher overall cost to the city. “Each of those attorneys has a caseload of 200 to 600 cases,” Adachi said, and referred to private attorney hourly rates of “between $89…
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