Author | Lightnews

Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Sep 10

Every single constitutional right you thought you had, is now at risk. Every. Single. One. Now more than ever, we need advocates, community, politicians, public defenders, EVERYONE…to fight & protect the rights of Black & Brown people that are being targeted by this administration. #LFG #Defender

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

The Worker Agency @theworkeragency.com · Aug 28

New in @capitolweekly.bsky.social - @katechatfield.bsky.social and @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social on getting ICE out of California courthouses:

capitolweekly.net/ice-raids-in...

ICE raids in our courts must stop now - Capitol Weekly

OPINION – Since January, ICE agents have arrested at least 22 people at California state courthouses in Fresno – with no regard for due process or dignity. These individuals were not fugitives. Some w...

capitolweekly.net

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

ACDefenders @acdefenders.bsky.social · Aug 19

ICE in courthouses interferes with justice, both for defendants and for victims.

Read the story: t.co/7556qY5Ewa

#KeepICEOutOfCourts #ProtectDueProcess #ImmigrantRights #DueProcess

@brendonwoodspd.bsky.social @npr.org

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

California Public Defenders Association @calpublicdefenders.bsky.social · Aug 22

Alameda County Public Defender Brendon Woods and Contra Costa County Public Defender Ellen McDonnell were two board members featured in an article by the Daily Journal covering yesterday’s rally for the expansion of the Racial Justice Act. Read more (paywall): www.dailyjournal.com/article/3871...

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

California Public Defenders Association @calpublicdefenders.bsky.social · Aug 27

This week's Member Spotlight is on Samantha Mead, Dep. Alternate Public Defender for the County of Los Angeles. “CPDA has been essential to my growth through its training + community. I’m committed to giving back by helping strengthen support, resources, and collaboration for defenders statewide.”

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

California Public Defenders Association @calpublicdefenders.bsky.social · Aug 27

CPDA Exec. Dir. Kate Chatfield + Alameda County Public Defender + CPDA Board Member Brendon Woods discuss why ICE raids in state courts must end in an op-ed for Capitol Weekly: “These raids sabotage the integrity of our courts and undermine our democracy.” Read: capitolweekly.net/ice-raids-in...

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

ACDefenders @acdefenders.bsky.social · Aug 20

Alameda County DA is moving to send more kids to adult court-a major shift from past policy. @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social says kids deserve rehabilitation, not decades in adult prison. Judges will make the final call. Read more: shorturl.at/VNVsv #JuvenileJustice #YouthJustice #EndMassIncarceration

Alameda County DA may seek to prosecute 16-year-old as adult in fatal shooting of Oakland teen

Alameda County prosecutors have not yet publicly decided whether they’ll request to try the teen suspected of killing Derbing Jose Alvarado Gonzalez in adult court.

shorturl.at

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Jul 16

Honored to receive the Dorsey Award. Any award I receive is because of my amazing colleagues at the Alameda County Public Defender's Office & the clients we are fortunate enough to serve. Thank you @americanbar.org‬ "ABA honors 2025 public service award recipients" www.abajournal.com/web/article/...

ABA honors 2025 public service award recipients

The ABA Journal is read by half of the nation's 1 million lawyers every month. It covers the trends, people and finances of the legal profession from Wall Street to Main Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.

www.abajournal.com

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · May 30

Thank you @ktvu2.bsky.social for having me on this morning to talk about our Annual Public Defender Community Block Party happening Saturday, May 31 from 12-4 at DeFremery Park in West Oakland. Food, 50 community partners, DJ Rack-12, kids fun zone, immigration know your rights and more! Come thru!

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · May 28

A program paying California jurors $100 a day would end abruptly due to Newsom’s new budget. We spend $14 billion to incarcerate mostly Black and Brown people and we can't spend $27 million to make sure our juries are more diverse! www.newsfromthestates.com/article/prog...

A program paying California jurors $100 a day would end abruptly due to Newsom’s new budget

In summary California’s experiment with increasing pay for jury duty would come to an early end under the new budget Gov. Gavin Newsom is asking lawmakers to approve.

www.newsfromthestates.com

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Apr 26

We’re hiring three new full-time immigration defense attorneys to join our immigration unit as a direct response to the federal government’s attack on our community members. Join us in fighting detention, deportation, & separation! #NoHumanIsIlegal #DefendImmigrants

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Apr 26

Is this your "law and order" president? Can you imagine the outcry we would hear from the right if a democrat did this? But instead, all we get is silence....

www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

US Justice Department cancels hundreds of grants for police, crime victims

The U.S. Justice Department has canceled hundreds of ongoing grants that funded everything from services for mental health care for police officers to support programs for victims of crime and sexual assault, according to internal records and four people familiar with the matter.

www.reuters.com

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Apr 10

How about we monitor this administration’s social media accounts for anti-blackness! And deport them. There will not be a single one left. www.npr.org/2025/04/09/g...

U.S. says it is now monitoring immigrants' social media for antisemitism

Effective immediately, the government says it will begin screening immigrant social media for activity that officials think indicates support for antisemitism.

www.npr.org

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Apr 4

We will be staffing up to protect our immigrant community members from the attacks of this current administration. Thank you to the Alameda County Board of Supervisors for providing much needed funding for Immigration Defense. #HereToStay #NoHumanIsIllegal www.kqed.org/news/1203400...

As Deportation Fears Rise, Alameda County Invests in Immigrant Legal Defense | KQED

The Alameda County Board of Supervisors allocated $1.3 million to the Alameda Public Defender’s immigration unit.

www.kqed.org

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Mar 6

Had a great time teaching LYRIC - Learn Your Rights In California - last week at Oakland High. It was one of our largest LYRICS ever. Over 120 students in attendance. Knowing your rights now is more important than ever. Thank you for having us. #KnowYourRights #LYRIC #Defender

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Mar 6

Thank you Alameda County Board of Supervisors & CAO! Special Thank You to Supervisor Marquez and Supervisor Bas, the Chairs of the Alameda County Together For All Ad-hoc Committee for making sure that the residents of Alameda County are protected during these times. #HereToStay #NoHumanIsIllegal

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Jan 27

New year, new shirt. No matter what this administration throws at us, we’re ready. We will fight for our clients. We will fight for your rights. We will fight to protect our immigrant community members. Paid by the government, to fight the government, we fight for you! #WeFightForYou #Defenders

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Jan 23

The state’s leaders are overlooking our legal system’s single most important means of preventing mass deportations: public defenders. This is a must read and we've been saying it for years #FundPublicDefense www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

Opinion: What California's response to Trump's threatened mass deportations is missing

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and lawmakers have overlooked the first and most important line of defense for vulnerable immigrants: public defenders.

www.latimes.com

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 17

Another article about how terrible Prop 36 will be. Yes - we will be sending people to jails & prison for petty theft & drug possession. People will die - instead of getting the false promise of treatment offered by the proponents of Prop 36 #CareNotCages calmatters.org/justice/2024...

California’s jail population will rise thanks to Prop. 36. So will inmate deaths, advocates say

California jails saw historic numbers of in-custody deaths as inmate populations shrank. Now, they are expected to grow again as Proposition 36 takes effect.

calmatters.org

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 17

For those that believed the lies told by prosecutors & law enforcement about Prop 36 – please read this article. Private Prison CEO’s are thrilled. Prop 36 will not provide treatment it will lead to more people being incarcerated & more being deported. www.sfchronicle.com/politics/art...

Private prison CEOs are thrilled about Trump — and California’s Prop 36

Private prison executives are celebrating November’s election results, with one pointing to the passage of California's Proposition 36 as a possible boon.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 17

Remember this article. Remember this when law enforcement & prosecutors say that Prop 36 and other harsh sentencing laws were responsible for turning this crisis around. Expanded treatment & intervention is what has worked not laws that send more people to prison www.eastbaytimes.com/2024/12/15/d...

After pandemic explosion, California drug overdose deaths are falling fast

Drug fatalities have been on a extended decline for the first time in at least a decade.

www.eastbaytimes.com

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 5

We need public defenders more than ever. We need people to defend our clients against the harms of the criminal punishment system. We need people to fight mass incarceration, to fight systemic racism, to fight for our communities. Join us! Apply by 12/9 acgov.org/hrs

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 5

We need public defenders more than ever. We need people to defend our clients against the harms of the criminal punishment system. We need people to fight mass incarceration, to fight systemic racism, to fight for our communities. Join us! Apply by 12/9 acgov.org/hrs

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Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Dec 2

New platform, same message – if you really care about mass incarceration and addressing the harms caused by this broken criminal legal system then #FundPublicDefense #EndMassIncarceration #CareNotCages
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/open...

Prosecutors have nearly $1 billion more than public defenders. That’s not a fair fight

With a nearly $1 billion funding disparity, it’s no wonder California’s prisons are overcrowded with low-income Black and brown people.

www.sfchronicle.com

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Reposted by Brendon Woods

Brendon Woods @brendonwoodspd.bsky.social · Nov 29

How do you want to use your law degree? If you want to fight mass incarceration, fight racism, fight poverty, fight for liberation, fight for your communities – Then Join Us! Apply by 12/9 #Defender #EndMassIncarceration acgov.org/hrs

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