Jeff Adachi

Jeff Adachi (born 1959 in Sacramento, California) is the elected Public Defender of San Francisco, pension reform advocate, and a former candidate for Mayor of San Francisco.

Adachi is the son of a Sacramento auto mechanic and a laboratory assistant. His parents and grandparents spent part of World War II in the Rohwer War Relocation Center in Arkansas. Adachi was a notably poor student at C.K. McClatchy High School with numerous absences due to the many hours he spent on his part-time jobs. He attended Sacramento City College before transferring. Adachi received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1981 and his Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1985.

Adachi began his career as a deputy public defender for fifteen years with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. He ultimately rose to the rank of chief attorney of the office and served in that capacity for three years. Adachi has tried over 100 jury trials and handled 3,000 criminal matters during his career.

In 2001, Kimiko Burton-Cruz, the daughter of then State Senator John Burton, was appointed Public Defender by Mayor Willie Brown. After taking office, Burton-Cruz forced Adachi out on her first day on the job, apparently for political reasons. The following year, Adachi ran against Burton-Cruz for her position and defeated her by a 55%–45% margin. Since then Adachi has been re-elected twice, both times running unopposed.

Adachi is the only elected Public Defender in the state of California and runs an office of nearly 100 attorneys and 60 staff members, which has a $24 million budget. According to estimates, the office represents over 23,000 people each year who are charged with misdemeanor and felony offenses. The office is known for several innovative criminal justice programs, including Drug Court, Clean Slate expungement services, and a full-service juvenile division.

Adachi was featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Presumed Guilty, a film about the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, its difficult cases and complex defense strategies.

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