July 23, 2025
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Latest News
For the first time in 111 years, the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office will help provide representation in immigration court through a new removal defense pilot program.
The pilot program expands the work of our existing immigration unit and will be staffed by contract attorneys and legal fellows dedicated to supporting immigrants during removal proceedings.
For more information, read the article through the link in our bio 🔗
Happy Thanksgiving from the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office!🍂
We’re grateful for the opportunity to serve, advocate, and uplift our communities every day.
Please note: Our offices will be closed November 27–28, 2025. We will resume regular business hours on Monday, December 1, 2025
November is Native American Heritage Month.
We honor the histories, cultures, and enduring contributions of Native American and Indigenous communities—including the Tribal Nations whose ancestral lands make up Los Angeles County.
At the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office, we remain committed to equitable representation and advancing access to justice for all.
Prop 36 promised more access to treatment for people struggling with addiction. But one year after its passing, the lack of available residential treatment has resulted in more incarceration instead.
“Treatment mandates are meaningless when there are no beds to send someone to,” says L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. García.
Read the full Vanguard News Group story through the link in our bio.
As we look at how Prop 36 has been implemented this past year, the data is showing how people are being set up to fail-telling them they’re going to get treatment, but not having the beds to send them to.
“Without the resources, it became an unfulfillable promise,” says L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. Garcia.
Read and watch more from Spectrum News 1 through the link in our bio 🔗
We were thrilled to participate in @lacJCOD’s Together We Thrive summit, providing expungement services. In the afternoon @rdg_lapubdef was a featured speaker on the “Road to Safer Communities” panel alongside several other Justice stakeholders.
It’s international Men’s Day and we’re recognizing the men who show up, work hard, and lead with integrity. Did you know that men make up around 40% of the LA Public Defender team? Today, we celebrate their dedication and the impact they make in our community every day. Happy International Men’s Day!
One year after Prop 36, thousands of Californians were promised care, treatment, and a path to recovery — but instead, they’ve received court dates, charges, and jail time.
“There are no guaranteed beds, no stable funding, no consistent coordination with providers — just more arrests and punishment,” says L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo D. García.
Real reform means treatment, recovery, and dignity — not incarceration.
Read more from the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Counties through the link in our bio.
