Local 148: Resisting and Obstructing Injustice since 1914 | RTs ≠ endorsement | #UnionStrong #EndMassIncarceration #CareNotCages
Los Angeles, CA
Joined March 2018
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As public defenders, we stand beside people at the most vulnerable moments of their lives. We see every day how the system makes mistakes. Death is the one mistake it can never undo.
No one should be executed. Not in Tennessee. Not in California. Not anywhere.
Mental illness is a medical condition–not a crime.
CA should be investing in more treatment, housing, and community-based services, not policies that pull more people into the cages of the criminal legal system.a
davisvanguard.org/2026/10/ca…
Public defenders deserve a voice in our pay, working conditions and caseloads.
This November, Massachusetts voters can give public defenders the right to collectively bargain. #Solidarity
wgbh.org/news/local/2026-09-…
In 2019, Long Beach Police Officer Suarez beat a man outside a Waffle House, fracturing his eye socket & continuing to punch him after he lost consciousness. He pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery.
Records show the department knew & Suarez still kept his badge until June 2026.
Now an attorney alleges LBPD failed to disclose the conviction to defendants or the DA, potentially affecting hundreds of cases. They also alleges LBPD has a broader practice of keeping impeachment evidence protected. This only came to light when a defense investigator looked.
This is why Brady disclosures matter.
Evidence that calls an officer's credibility into question can shape whether someone takes a plea or goes to trial.
People cannot meaningfully defend themselves against evidence they never get to see.
laist.com/news/criminal-just…
The 2023 National Public Defense Workload Study found attorneys need:
🔹 13.8 hrs for low-level misdemeanor
🔹 57 hrs for mid-level felony
🔹 286 hrs for LWOP
That's the time it takes to review evidence, investigate the case & pursue options like mental health diversion.
LA County should adopt the national workload standards now.
The largest public defense system in the country doesn't need to wait for someone else to impose a fair workload standard.
Read more: calmatters.org/investigation…
#Prop36 promised treatment instead of incarceration but that promise is going unkept.
Last year, fewer than 1 in 5 Prop 36 drug cases statewide led to treatment. Just 57 people graduated and had their charges dropped.
The reason is simple: the law passed with no funding. There aren't enough beds, mental health care, housing, or case managers.
You can't force people into treatment that doesn't exist. Real treatment requires real investment.
calmatters.org/justice/2026/…
For years, people held in Men’s Central Jail have endured mold, vermin, violence and preventable deaths. Now the DOJ is investigating whether conditions violate their constitutional rights.
Accountability is long overdue.
latimes.com/california/story…
Angelenos stood up against ICE. More than a year later, their own City Attorney is prosecuting them.
Hydee Feldstein Soto filed charges against 20+ demonstrators for “failure to disperse” just days before the statute of limitations expired.
These standalone charges are highly unusual and could chill future protests.
Feldstein Soto is leaving office, but these cases may outlast her. The next City Attorney will decide whether to keep prosecuting them.
knock-la.com/a-year-after-hi…
Public defenders are asked to be lawyers, social workers & more, all while carrying crushing caseloads.
Client advocates are showing what happens when defense teams actually have resources: better outcomes & more time for lawyers to defend their clients.
nytimes.com/2026/09/12/headw…
What we already know about these Flock cameras:
📍Illegally shared with ICE
📍Used by a deputy to stalk his ex-fiancée
📍1 in 3 LAPD “stolen vehicle” hits were WRONG
📍Tied to tracking abortion seekers
Surveillance without oversight is unacceptable.
laist.com/news/politics/cali…
You'll see plenty of solidarity posts from LA County leaders today. What we actually need is a contract. Public defenders— the people who guarantee your constitutional right to a legal defense—are undervalued and being driven out of the profession. #LaborDay
Jose Carlos Hoyos-Munoz, 58, was in a mental health crisis and handcuffed in a Van Nuys jail cell when officers repeatedly struck, kneed and pinned him. Minutes later, he was dead.
Handcuffs aren’t care. A jail cell isn’t treatment.
He needed help. He deserved dignity. His family deserves justice.
As public defenders, we demand accountability, an independent investigation and real investment in mental health care, not more policing.
latimes.com/000001a0-4b44-df…
