Under existing law, the board of supervisors of any county may establish the office of public defender for the county and authorize reciprocal or mutual assistance agreements with boards of supervisors of other counties authorizing their respective public defenders to enter into reciprocal or mutual assistance agreements, or authorize reciprocal or mutual assistance agreements with the State Public Defender, if the public defender of the county is unable to perform public defender duties because of, among other reasons, lack of personnel, lack of expertise, or lack of other resources by the local office.

Existing law, subject to an appropriation by the Legislature, requires the State Public Defender, in consultation with the California Public Defenders Association and other subject matter experts, to undertake a study to assess appropriate workloads for public defenders and indigent defense attorneys and to submit a report with their findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than January 1, 2024.

This bill would require the board of supervisors of any county that has established the office of public defender to collect specified information on public defense services provided in the county and to report that data to the Office of the State Public Defender every 2 years beginning on January 1, 2029. The bill would require the Office of the State Public Defender to collect the same information with regard to counties that have not established the office of public defender and to create and post on its internet website a summary report on public defense services, as specified.