Public Safety & Justice
| More

San Francisco's Populist Public Defender

Jeff Adachi is a public defender loved by the public and feared by public officials.

BY: | February 1, 2010



Public defenders are often seen as the Rodney Dangerfields of local government: They get respect from neither the prosecutor-loving public nor other public officials. Not Jeff Adachi, though. When San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom proposed a $1.9 million cut to his $23 million budget, Adachi objected in visible ways, such as mailing out 5,000 post cards adorned with images of a public defender action hero, proclaiming the necessity of his office. More soberly, Adachi also explained that the cuts would force him to farm out 9,000 cases per year to more expensive private counsel.

Adachi's feisty response came as no surprise. During his eight-year tenure, Adachi hasn't hesitated to tangle with public officials who crossed him. When the city created a new court to handle cases in the Tenderloin, San Francisco's red-light district and the focus of a recent cleanup effort, Adachi refused, saying his 93 attorneys were too busy. Eventually he agreed to provide legal defenses there himself.

Adachi's antics have frustrated officials in the mayor's office, who insist that in the current fiscal situation, everyone must live within their means. But Adachi disagrees. The Public Defender's Office, he said, is the only department constitutionally obligated to perform its function. Most San Franciscans seem to agree. Observers expect Adachi to be easily re-elected in 2010. Unless, that is, he runs for another office altogether-the mayor's office.


If you enjoyed this post, subscribe for updates.

John Buntin
John Buntin

John Buntin is a GOVERNING staff writer. He covers health care, public safety and urban affairs.

E-mail: jbuntin@governing.com
Twitter: @governing

Comments



Add Your Comment

You are solely responsible for the content of your comments. GOVERNING reserves the right to remove comments that are considered profane, vulgar, obscene, factually inaccurate, off-topic, or considered a personal attack.

Comments must be fewer than 2000 characters.

Latest from Public Safety & Justice

  • Colorado Governor Orders Audit of Sentencing Records
  • The order comes two weeks after DOC executive director Tom Clements was shot to death at his Monument home. The chief suspect is parolee Evan Ebel, a man released from prison about four years early because of a court's clerical error.

More From Public Safety & Justice

GOVERNING Data

Events & Webinars

  • It’s A Paperless, Paperless World..... Thinking Outside the Box to Gain Efficiencies through Prepaid Cards
  • April 23, 2013
  • Public sector organizations are under intense scrutiny to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible and with maximum transparency. An important consideration is the way in which payments are made and managed. Prepaid cards can offer flexibility, security and accountability to governments as a method of dispersing benefits, healthcare and social care payments, child benefits and housing benefits to their constituents.


More Events & Webinars


© 2011 e.Republic, Inc. All Rights reserved.    |   Privacy Policy   |   Site Map