Unlocking the Potential of Public Defense in LA County w Ricardo Garcia

More than 100 years ago, the first Public Defender Office opened in LA County thanks to the dedication and hard work of Clara Foltz. From that point on, the office grew into the largest office in the country. Today’s guest, Ricardo Garcia, is the current Chief Public Defender of the Office and responsible for figuring out how to unlock the potential of the office. On top of the massive geographic and population challenges of providing Public Defense to LA County, Ricardo must also battle with the well organized and funded police and prosecutorial machine in LA County and California writ large. To fully unlock the potential power of the office, Ricardo hopes empowered supervisors will be able to better engage with the media and local communities. In doing so, Ricardo hopes the community will then apply the pressure necessary to force political change.