The San Francisco Public Defender's office is implementing a new strategy to not take on new cases one or two days a week in response to overwhelming caseloads and budget cuts. Public Defender Mano Raju highlighted a significant increase in both misdemeanor and felony filings, alongside rising drug-related cases since 2020. Raju calls for more resources, noting the disparity in budget allocations between the Public Defender's office and the Prosecutor's office. Concerns arise around the capability of public defenders to adequately represent clients amidst these challenges.
"We cannot allow the representation of our clients to suffer, and if we take on more cases, that is going to happen."
"There's been an increase of 27% of misdemeanor filings since 2020. And there's also been an increase of felony filings of over 30%."
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