VOTER GUIDE

PUBLIC DEFENDER

What Is the Public Defender?

  • Responsible for providing legal defense to individuals who cannot afford private representation in criminal matters

  • The salary and benefits of this full-time position total $352,000 per year

Why You Should Care

A strong Public Defender is a vital part of our democracy and justice system. The SF Public Defender serves around 25,000 indigent defendants annually. Prior to Manohar Raju taking office in 2019, Public Defender Jeff Adachi had created a gold-standard office of legal expertise and tenacity. It was one of the best in the entire country and known to defeat the DA’s office more often than not.

Public Defenders and District Attorneys have different training and procedural requirements, as well as often contradictory ideologies. They have historically been oppositional offices. When Chesa Boudin, then a Public Defender, was elected to be District Attorney in 2019, the San Francisco’s District Attorney’s office began to consider the rights of the accused more than is usual. With District Attorney Brooke Jenkins now in office, these roles and relationships are in flux and we would like to see the offices focus on their intended roles.

Our Vision for the Office

Public Defenders often defend their clients as victims of structural issues and systemic racism. We would like to see them supporting programs to address these problems and be willing to support their clients' participation in those programs. 

A Note About Our Candidate Choices

San Francisco uses ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference. This election, we've only endorsed one candidate per office, since we believe in them so wholeheartedly that we do not recommend you rank any additional candidates.

Manohar Raju


Why vote for him: The Public Defender’s office has incredibly well-trained attorneys representing their clients. The office was very well-run under Adachi. Raju has shifted his focus to include new program development and sued the courts for their COVID backlog. While these efforts have drawn criticism and spurred Rebecca Young, a former employee who left to join Chesa Boudin’s office as an Assistant District Attorney, to challenge him, we believe he is still best suited for the job.

Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.

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