Santa Cruz County Supes Consider Public Defender's Office

SANTA CRUZ COUNTY, CA — The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors will consider establishing a public defender's office next month to serve defendants struggling to afford legal representation in criminal cases.

This comes after a legal group hired to conduct an objective analysis of the county's current practices determined that the law firm hired to provide indigent services didn't have enough attorneys to effectively serve defendants.

In lieu of an in-house public defender's office, the county has relied on defense from attorneys with the law firm of Biggam, Christensen & Minsloff since 1975, the county said in a news release.

The Sixth Amendment Center, which the county hired to create a report on its current indigent legal services, wrote that Santa Cruz County has not required "those contract law firms to report information critical to knowing whether they are providing effective assistance of counsel," thus creating a conflict of interest between the best interest of defendants and the financial interests of attorneys.

"As a result, the primary contract law firm has caseloads far above the national standards, and the three contract firms combined do not have enough attorneys to handle the total appointed caseload effectively," the center wrote.

Supervisors will hear the center deliver presentation on a possible framework for establishing a public defender's office in Santa Cruz County at its Oct. 6 meeting. The Sixth Amendment Center will present the analysis and recommendations it developed after a yearlong assessment, which wrapped up in September.

“After 40 years, we are beginning a new chapter in legal services for our most vulnerable residents,” said Acting County Administrative Officer Nicole Coburn in the news release.

The county's current contract with Biggam, Christensen & Minsloff expires June 2022.

Read the report here.