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Supervisors urge Superior Court to prioritize criminal trials as public defenders warn of prolonged pretrial incarceration
Summary
A GAO hearing on Dec. 2 examined a growing backlog of criminal trials in San Francisco and a resolution urging the Superior Court to prioritize criminal cases over non‑urgent civil trials. Public defenders described clients detained for months past statutory deadlines; the committee forwarded an amended resolution to the full Board and continued follow‑up to the call of the chair.
The Government Audit and Oversight Committee on Dec. 2 took up a hearing and resolution urging the San Francisco Superior Court to prioritize criminal trials and safely open more courtrooms to address a backlog of cases and people held past statutory speedy‑trial deadlines.
Supervisor Hillary Ronan, who led the hearing, described the backlog as a crisis, saying the court "cannot use [the pandemic] as an excuse" and urging local branches of government to work with the court to find space and resources to hold more criminal trials. Ronan noted the chief judge declined an invitation to participate in the hearing.
Public Defender Office representatives detailed human costs and racial disparities tied to the backlog. Kathleen Punarotne and Deputy Public Defender Kathleen Natividad described roughly 451 cases that have passed statutory trial deadlines and about 218 people currently…
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