Jeff Adachi facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jeff Adachi
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| San Francisco Public Defender | |
| In office January 10, 2003 – February 22, 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Kimiko Burton |
| Succeeded by | Manohar Raju |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Jeffrey Gordon Adachi
August 29, 1959 Sacramento, California U.S. |
| Died | February 22, 2019 (aged 59) San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Mutsuko Adachi |
| Children | 1 |
| Alma mater | University of California, Berkeley (BA) University of California, Hastings College of the Law (JD) |
| Profession | Lawyer Politician |
Jeffrey Gordon Adachi (born August 29, 1959 – died February 22, 2019) was an American lawyer and politician. He was known for working to change how retirement money for city workers was handled. He served as the Public Defender of San Francisco from 2003 until his death in 2019.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Jeff Adachi grew up in Sacramento, California. His father was a car mechanic and his mother worked in a lab. During World War II, his parents and grandparents were held in a special camp in Arkansas.
As a student at C. K. McClatchy High School, Jeff worked many part-time jobs. He later went to Sacramento City College. In 1981, he earned his bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley. He then went on to get his law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in 1985.
Career as a Public Defender
Jeff Adachi started his career as a deputy public defender in San Francisco. He worked for the San Francisco Public Defender's Office for 32 years. He eventually became the chief attorney of the office, a role he held for 15 years. During his career, he handled thousands of court cases and tried over 100 jury trials.
In 2001, a new Public Defender was appointed, and Jeff Adachi was asked to leave his job. The next year, he ran for the position against her. He won the election, becoming the Public Defender of San Francisco. He was re-elected twice after that, running unopposed both times.
Adachi was featured in a 2002 PBS documentary called Presumed Guilty. This film showed the work of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. It highlighted their challenging cases and how they defended people.
Helping People in Court
Jeff Adachi was the only elected Public Defender in California. He led an office with over 100 lawyers and 60 staff members. His office helped more than 23,000 people each year. These were people accused of crimes who could not afford their own lawyers.
His office was known for new programs to help people. The "Clean Slate" program helped people clear their past records. The juvenile division focused on helping young people. In 2017, Adachi started an Immigration Unit. This unit helped immigrants who were held in detention centers and facing deportation. San Francisco was one of the first cities to offer this kind of legal help.
Adachi also spoke out about police actions. He worked to make sure police acted fairly. He also supported changes to the bail system. This system decides how much money people must pay to get out of jail before their trial.
Professional Activities and Awards
Jeff Adachi was a leader in several legal and community groups. He was president of the Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area. He also led the San Francisco Japanese American Citizen's League. He served on boards for many legal organizations.
He wrote several books to help people pass the bar exam. This is a difficult test lawyers must pass to practice law. He also taught bar review classes for over 20 years.
In 1995, he started the Asian American Arts Foundation. This group helped new artists. It also created the Golden Ring Awards, which honored famous Asian American artists.
Adachi received many awards for his work as Public Defender. These awards recognized his public service and his excellent legal work. He was honored for his efforts to help people re-enter society after being in prison. He also received awards for his transparency as an elected official.
He became a certified specialist in criminal law. This means he had special training and experience in criminal cases.
Working for City Changes
In 2010, Adachi proposed a plan called "Proposition B." This plan would have made city employees pay more for their retirement and health care. The plan did not pass, as many groups were against it.
In 2011, he tried again with "Proposition D." This plan would have made city employees pay a basic amount toward their retirement. Higher-earning employees would pay more. It also aimed to stop practices that made pensions too large. This plan would have saved San Francisco a lot of money. The mayor at the time, Ed Lee, offered a different plan called "Proposition C." Voters approved Proposition C and did not approve Proposition D.
Running for Mayor
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In August 2011, Jeff Adachi decided to run for Mayor of San Francisco. He said he wanted to bring honesty and financial responsibility back to the city. He felt that other candidates were not serious enough about the city's money problems.
Adachi chose not to take public money for his campaign. He felt it was wrong to take $900,000 when the city was cutting summer school programs for kids. He still agreed to limit how much money he spent.
He also suggested ways to create jobs. He wanted to invest in small businesses to help them grow. He also proposed changing the business tax system. A big part of his plan was to put more money into education. He wanted to use city savings to bring back summer school.
The San Francisco Chronicle newspaper named Adachi one of the "3 S.F. Mayoral Candidates to Consider." They praised his courage for taking on difficult issues. He finished 6th out of 16 candidates in the election.
Film Work
Beyond his legal career, Jeff Adachi was also a filmmaker.
- In 2006, he wrote, produced, and directed The Slanted Screen. This documentary looked at how Asian men were shown in American movies. It won awards at film festivals.
- In 2009, he directed You Don't Know Jack: The Jack Soo Story. This film was about Jack Soo, a Japanese American actor. It won the best documentary award at the Accolade Film Festival.
- In 2016, he made America Needs a Racial Facial. This short film explored the history of racism in the U.S. It won an award at the Hollywood Independent Documentary Film Festival.
- Adachi's 2017 documentary Defender, which he co-directed, won best documentary at the Independent Television Festival. This film followed one of Adachi's court cases and a case handled by his office's new immigration unit.
Death
Jeff Adachi passed away on February 22, 2019, in San Francisco. An independent examination found that his death was an accident. It was caused by natural reasons related to a heart problem he had since birth.
