SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Santa Cruz County Chief Public Defender Heather Rogers joined public defense leaders from across California this week in backing a renewed push for funding reform after the California State Assembly unanimously passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution 159 at the State Capitol on Monday, May 4, according to a press release issued by the Santa Cruz County Office of the Public Defender.
The measure, introduced by Assemblymember Ash Kalra, affirms the vital role of public defenders while recognizing the impact of underfunding and excessive caseloads on the profession. Kalra was joined by Assemblymembers Sade Elhawary and Nick Schultz.
According to the statement, Rogers and other chief public defenders across the state praised the measure for recognizing the role public defense plays in protecting constitutional rights and human lives.
“Every day, we sit with people at some of the hardest moments of their lives, where what’s on the line is their freedom, their family, and their future,” Rogers said, according to the statement.
“Public defenders, advocates, and community leaders gathered at the Capitol in support of both the resolution and the accompanying funding proposal, signaling growing statewide momentum toward a more equitable and effective legal system,” the statement says.
According to the statement, Kalra, a former public defender, authored the measure in a way that “highlight[s] both the role and the needs of indigent defense systems statewide.”
ACR 159 serves as a legislative framework encouraging future investments, but it does not allocate funding, according to the press release. Advocates for reform are using it as a foundation for more concrete financial support.
Kalra included a funding proposal alongside the resolution to “strengthen public defense infrastructure, expand staffing, and support early-career attorneys entering the field,” the press release says.
The proposal calls for $45 million over three years to fund public defense attorney positions, amounting to $15 million annually, according to the statement.
Rogers argued that funding reform is necessary because public defenders represent people who cannot afford private legal counsel and often face significant systemic barriers within the legal system.
“When public defense is under-resourced, the harm is not evenly distributed,” Rogers said, according to the statement. “People of color are disproportionately impacted, and people without financial means remain in custody pretrial because they cannot afford bail.”
The press release argues that excessive caseloads and staffing shortages continue to strain public defense offices and the broader justice system.
According to the statement, Rogers urged staffing reforms to address the unmanageable workload placed upon public defenders statewide.
Without additional support from the state, Rogers said, public defenders are forced “into triage, creating delays that have real consequences for individuals, families, and communities.”
The release stresses that the services provided by public defenders are not optional; rather, they serve an “essential role […] in safeguarding constitutional rights,” especially for vulnerable populations.
Rogers was joined in supporting the resolution by Sacramento Chief Public Defender Amanda Benson, San Francisco Chief Public Defender Manohar Raju, Los Angeles Chief Public Defender Ricardo Garcia, Alameda Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods and Santa Clara Chief Public Defender Damon Silver.
“ACR 159 recognizes the central role of public defense, but it also highlights a reality we confront daily: without sufficient resources, the right to counsel is at risk of becoming more promise than practice,” Rogers said, according to the statement.
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