30 Facts About Jeff Adachi

Jeffrey Gordon Adachi was an American attorney, pension reform advocate, and politician who served as the Public Defender of San Francisco from 2003 to 2019.

Jeff Adachi attended Sacramento City College before transferring to the University of California, Berkeley where, in 1981, he received his bachelor's degree.

Jeff Adachi received his Juris Doctor from the Hastings College of the Law in 1985.

Jeff Adachi began his career as a deputy public defender with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office where he worked for thirty-two years.

Jeff Adachi ultimately rose to the rank of chief attorney of the office and served in that capacity for fifteen years.

Jeff Adachi tried over one hundred jury trials and handled three thousand criminal matters during his career.

On her first day after taking office, Burton-Cruz forced Jeff Adachi out, believed to be for political reasons.

Jeff Adachi was featured in the 2002 PBS documentary Presumed Guilty, a film about the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, its difficult cases, and complex defense strategies.

Jeff Adachi was the only elected Public Defender in the state of California and ran an office of more than 100 attorneys and 60 staff members.

In 2017, Jeff Adachi launched an Immigration Unit to represent undocumented immigrants locked in detention facilities and facing deportation.

Jeff Adachi was a frequent police misconduct watchdog and bail reform advocate.

Jeff Adachi played a significant role in drawing attention to serious problems within the California Youth Authority.

Jeff Adachi testified at state senate hearings and organized juveniles as part of a larger reform movement.

Jeff Adachi advocated for San Francisco to boycott sending juveniles to CYA facilities.

Jeff Adachi was previously the president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area and the San Francisco Japanese American Citizen's League, in addition to serving as a board member of the California Attorneys for Criminal Justice and the San Francisco Bar Association.

At the national level, Jeff Adachi was a member of the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Legal Aid and Indigents.

Jeff Adachi served on the board of California Humanities until 2018 and as a board member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the National Association for Public Defense.

Jeff Adachi was the author of a series of books on passing the bar exam, including the Bar Exam Survival Kit, Bar Breaker, the MBE Survival Kit and the First Year Law School Survival Kit.

Jeff Adachi received several accolades for his tenure as Public Defender.

Jeff Adachi became a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law and a Certified Specialist in Criminal Trial Advocacy.

In 2010, Jeff Adachi placed "Proposition B" on the ballot, which would have required employees to increase the level of their contribution to defray the cost of both their pension and health care benefits.

Jeff Adachi's campaign was opposed by the police and firefighter unions, as his pension reform plan would require them to contribute more to their retirement pensions.

When Jeff Adachi went to pay his respects at the June 2011 funeral services honoring San Francisco firefighters, Lt.

The Fire Chief was unaware that Jeff Adachi had been asked to leave and stated that everyone had the right to show their support and respect, and that she did not support the request to leave.

Jeff Adachi proposed reforming the business tax through elimination of the current payroll tax system, which discourages hiring of new workers, and replacing it with a new business tax based upon net business revenue.

Jeff Adachi lost in his first attempt last year, but is back with a revised version after he wouldn't back a compromise measure on the ballot.

Jeff Adachi has a clear grasp of a variety of issues ranging from homeless policies to taxes.

Jeff Adachi wrote, produced, and directed The Slanted Screen, a 2006 documentary film about stereotypical depictions of Asian males in American cinema.

Jeff Adachi died on February 22,2019, in the North Beach neighborhood of San Francisco.

The San Francisco medical examiner investigated the death, led by Christopher Wirowek, whose credibility Jeff Adachi assailed publicly only three weeks before his death and who was later terminated because of his handling of Jeff Adachi's autopsy report.