New Commission Takes Aim at California’s Broken Public Defense System ^45.8%

CalMatters - By Anat Rubin, CalMatters - 6/19/2026, 4:30 AM

Negativity Bias 27.9% - Appeal to Authority 20.4% - Framing Effect 18.6%

A new commission made up of legislators, public defenders, academics and advocates seeks to push California — one of just two states that don’t pay for basic public defense — to begin providing resources and enforcing minimum standards for county public defender systems. The California Independent Commission on Public Defense includes... more