LOS ANGELES COUNTY : Alternate Public Defender Agency Gets Leader
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The Board of Supervisors has chosen Bruce Hoffman, chief deputy of the county public defender’s office in Long Beach, to head a new agency that will represent indigent criminal defendants.
In August, the board approved the formation of a second public defender’s office to handle criminal cases in which the primary public defender declares a conflict of interest--usually because there is more than one defendant needing an appointed lawyer.
The county’s new alternate public defender will have an annual budget of $3.5 million and initially will operate in the Los Angeles Municipal Court and the Superior Court’s central district.
Hoffman is scheduled to assume duties Dec. 1, at an annual salary of $122,000.
The board named Hoffman despite a last ditch appeal by private attorneys who currently contract with the county to handle conflict-of-interest cases.
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