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Committee trims and forwards $750,000 domestic‑violence supplemental after debate between DA and public defender
Summary
After extended testimony from the District Attorney, the Public Defender, budget analysts and dozens of community groups, the committee approved a compromise amendment set—limited‑term DA attorneys and investigators plus funding for community legal services and a DOSW staff increase—and forwarded the supplemental appropriation to the full Board with recommendation.
The Budget & Finance Committee on Feb. 6 debated a proposed $750,000 supplemental appropriation focused on domestic violence response, victim services and additional District Attorney staffing before forwarding a scaled and amended package to the full Board.
President Hsu introduced the supplemental, citing a 2011 family‑violence report showing large increases in calls, shelter demand and other domestic‑violence indicators. District Attorney George Gascon opened the discussion with an audio example and a presentation describing a sharp increase in the DA’s domestic‑violence caseload since 2010 and a corresponding rise in trials; he asked for four additional prosecutors, three investigators, three victim advocates and a paralegal. Gascon warned that declining conviction rates and heavier trial loads risk public safety unless prosecution capacity increases.
Public Defender Jeff Adachi responded with a detailed methodological rebuttal. He urged the committee to rely on weighted caseload/workload analysis rather than 'court events' and argued that the public defender’s office already handles the majority of domestic‑violence matters in the system and that the high acquittal rates cited by the DA warranted scrutiny of charging and screening, not only more prosecutors.
The Budget Legislative Analyst presented a careful review and recommended a more conservative package of limited‑term positions to address an apparent 2012 anomaly in police referrals while responding to a bulge in trials: two limited‑term DA attorneys, two DA investigators, and one limited‑term paralegal; plus a partial‑year (0.33 FTE) DOSW position and funding for nonprofit legal services and a $50,000 public outreach campaign. Community providers and advocacy organizations testified strongly in favor of the supplemental, emphasizing rising need, gaps in language services and the importance of victim advocates and civil legal assistance.
After discussion, President Hsu and Supervisor Marr pushed for a middle ground. The committee agreed to amendments that reduced some DA staffing requests while preserving funding for victim‑service staff and community legal services; staff and the city attorney were directed to prepare the precise amendment language. Committee staff recorded an amended proposal that would add (in the current year) three limited‑term DA attorney positions (combined 0.99 FTE for the remainder of the year), two DA investigator positions (0.66 FTE), three victim witness investigator positions (0.99 FTE), one investigative assistant (0.33 FTE), and an adjusted DOSW staffing change; the amended supplemental and salary ordinance changes were forwarded to the full Board with the budget analyst's recommendations.
