People charged with felonies in San Francisco could be released due to lack of public defenders

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The San Francisco Public Defender’s office has warned for months that it doesn’t have the staffing necessary to deal with its increasing caseload.

Back in May, the office announced it would stop taking new cases a few days a week in order to catch up.

Speaking to ABC7 News in the spring, the city’s Public Defender Mano Raju said they partnered with private attorneys to help manage the caseload.

“We cannot allow the representation of our clients to suffer. And if we take on more cases, that’s going to happen,” Raju said.

RELATED: Overloaded SF Public Defender limits amount of new cases taken due to lack of funding

But now, even with the help of those extra lawyers, the public defender’s office says it’s still at its limit. This could lead to the release of people charged with some crimes back onto the street as they await trial.

That possibility has angered the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, as well as the city’s District Attorney, Brooke Jenkins.

“They do not have the legal right not to represent the clients that they’re appointed to represent. And the court should still be appointing them to these cases,” Jenkins said.

Jenkins says she doesn’t believe the public defender’s office is short-staffed.

During an interview with ABC7 News, she said she believes it’s a political move that could harm everyday San Franciscans.

“This is an attempt by the public defender to weaponize the court system in order to put the mayor’s back against the wall to get what he wants that he didn’t receive during the budget period,” Jenkins said.

ABC7 News reporter Tim Johns talked to the public defender’s office about Jenkins’ comments.

They told us she was deflecting responsibility for the caseload crisis and misplacing blame on their office.

In a statement, they said in part:

“The reality is that the courts and defense attorneys would not be so overwhelmed if the District Attorney’s Office weren’t filing so many frivolous and unsubstantiated cases….The DA’s Office has increased the number of cases filed by nearly 60% since 2021.”

Jenkins says the court system has been unable to manage its calendar for a long time.

While this process plays out, the DA says she wants to ensure city residents she’s still working to keep them safe.

“My office is doing everything that it can to provide the court and the city with what it needs to respond to this crisis,” Jenkins said.

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office did not respond to our request for comment.