San Diego County has hired longtime deputy public defender Paul Rodriguez as its new chief public defender. He is set to officially begin his new role in early January.
Rodriguez, who has spent most of the past decade as supervisor of the public defender’s El Cajon branch, will take over for the office’s interim leader, Katherine Braner. She has served as chief since the June retirement of Randy Mize, who had led the office since 2017.
“I have dedicated my legal career to indigent criminal defense,” Rodriguez said in a statement. “Our department will continue to provide zealous legal representation to those with fewer opportunities, those who are consistently marginalized, to protect them from being presumed guilty. It is my privilege to continue this difficult work with our dedicated staff of professionals who work tirelessly every day.”
The public defender’s office represents people charged with crimes who cannot afford private attorneys. It represents the vast majority of those charged in the local state courts and operates four separate components — the Primary Public Defender, Alternate Public Defender, Multiple Conflicts Office and the Office of Assigned Counsel.
The office employs 547 people — including attorneys, investigators, legal and administrative support staff and behavioral health professionals — and in the current fiscal year has a budget just shy of $130 million.
“Paul has a leadership style that is transparent, collaborative, and team oriented, with a high level of integrity and a mission-driven focus,” Holly Porter, the county’s chief administrative officer for public safety, said in a statement. “San Diego County Defenders and professional staff are committed and passionate about their work, and I am excited to see all the Office will accomplish under Paul’s leadership.”
The county said in a statement that Rodriguez was chosen “after an extensive recruitment with input from internal and external stakeholders, and community engagement at its center.” County officials said his hiring “aligns with the County’s pursuit of a leader who champions restorative justice, diversity, inclusion and belonging. His aim is to cultivate an environment where defenders are not only passionate, but also skilled advocates for their clients.”
Rodriguez was born in Santiago, Chile, but moved with his family all over the globe “to pursue better economic opportunities,” according to the county. He lived in Argentina, Puerto Rico, Florida, Luxembourg, and Belgium.
“Throughout his childhood, he says he and his family witnessed and experienced social, economic, and political inequities that later compelled him to work for justice and freedom for all,” the county said in a statement.
Rodriguez has worked for the Public Defender’s Office his entire legal career, joining as an intern even before he graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law. In his most recent post as supervisor of the El Cajon branch, he oversaw more than 50 attorneys and other staff.
Kerry Armstrong, a private defense attorney, met Rodriguez while both were just launching their criminal defense careers in the late 1990s. Armstrong described Rodriguez as “a very smart, ethical, hard-working attorney” who Armstrong believes will be excellent in his new role.
“I have seen him in court numerous times, and he is always prepared, logical, and articulate,” Armstrong told the Union-Tribune.“Most of all, he is always organized, and that quality will be his biggest asset in his new job.”
Dod Ghassemkhani has known Rodriguez for 20 years, including 10 years as colleagues in the Public Defender’s Office before Ghassemkhani launched his own criminal defense firm.
“He is well respected by his colleagues, the District Attorney’s Office and the judges,” Ghassemkhani said. “He has always conducted himself with the utmost professionalism and integrity.”
The search for Mize’s replacement as public defender was paused during the summer after Vista Superior Court Judge Michael Washington filed a lawsuit over his disputed eligibility for the job. He contended the county misinterpreted a state Government Code section when it deemed him ineligible for the position.
The search resumed after an Orange County Superior Court judge — who was assigned the case to avoid a conflict of interest — ruled against Washington in November.
The office faced controversy early this year when the county paid out $3.5 million to resolve two employment lawsuits from former lawyers there. One said he was wrongly terminatedafter he complained about a racist comment made by a supervisor, and was discriminated against because of how he presented himself as a gay man. After trial, a jury awarded him $2.6 million.
Weeks later the county paid $900,000 to settle a lawsuit from another lawyer who said she was forced to resign under duress because of her political activism outside of work.
The county denied both sets of allegations and said the two attorneys were not hired on after a probationary period because they scored low at an internal review panel.
