In every other city in California, their Public Defender is an appointee. Not so in San Francisco! Here, we elect the Public Defender of the City and County of San Francisco, and since 2002, Jeff Adachi's been our guy. He's tried over 150 jury trials himself, and oversees a staff of 93 lawyers, all who represent over 23,000 people each year. On top of that, he ran for mayor against Ed Lee in 2011, eventually coming in sixth out of 16 candidates. He's also directed, written, and produced two documentaries. The guy gets around, as you can see from his responses to our 20 questions.
Name: Jeff Adachi
Introduce yourself in one sentence: As California's only elected public defender, my office provides the best legal representation and justice money can't buy.
Age and occupation: 56, Public Defender of San Francisco, criminal trial lawyer & filmmaker
Home town: South Sacramento
How long have you lived in SF? Since 1981 when I attended UC Hastings for law school.
Best deal in SF: Bowl of cha siu ramen + sake at Sapporo-Ya in Japantown
The best thing in/about your neighborhood is: On the Westside, we have free parking but it's hard to find your car through the fog.
Your favorite Bay Area restaurant is: Ozumo
Place you always tell visitors to the Bay Area to check out: Alcatraz, especially now with dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei's exhibition
You have two hours and $25 bucks to kill in SF, what are you going to do?: See a horror or action movie (or two), buy a popcorn (smuggle in a Coke) and give whatever is left over to the homeless.
Favorite mode of transportation: Horse drawn carriage or Muni, whichever is faster
Beer, wine, cocktails, or mocktails (please elaborate): James Bonds' Vesper martini extra dry "the apèritif of Bordeaux"
Favorite Bay Area stereotype, and whether or not you buy into it: We all eat healthy (I don't and never will.)
Who's your favorite San Francisco character (living or dead, real or unreal): Frank Kozik, an avant-garde artist who is famous for making plastic rabbits which he calls labbits.
San Franciscans are the WORST about: summer fashion style
SF has the BEST: men and women in suits & trench coats (I favor Giorgio Armani but have to find them on sale.)
You can tell someone is a local here IF: they don't ask you for directions to the Golden Gate Bridge.
I have found/sold/bought the following on Craigslist: Concert tickets!
What do you want all SFist readers out there to know about your city? We are a city of rebels except when it comes to our coffee.
Tell us a “only in San Francisco" story: The first time I came here by myself in high school, my cousin and I visited with our class. Everyone else ate at Castagnola's but we didn't have $20 so, instead, we bought French rolls and some cold cuts for a few bucks and ate them in a grassy area near Fisherman's Wharf - it was the best sandwich I ever had in my life!
