Public Defense Pilot Program
Amendments to the Budget Act of 2021 (Senate Bill 129) allocates $50,000,000 to the BSCC to administer the Public Defense Pilot Program (PDPP). From the $50,000,000 allocation, $49,500,000 shall be provided to counties for indigent defense based on each county’s share of the total adult population in the state. Eligible recipients of the funds include public defenders, alternate defenders, and other qualifying entities “that provide indigent defense in criminal matters for the purposes of workload associated with the provisions in paragraph (1) of subdivision (d) of Section 1170 of, and Sections 1170.95, 1473.7, and 3051 of, the Penal Code.” The BSCC also was provided $500,000 to cover administrative costs and to contract with a university or research institution to complete an independent evaluation of the pilot program.
The BSCC calculated the amount of funding each county is eligible to receive by dividing the $49.5 million by the county's share of the total adult population using the 2021 projected population figures from the Department of Finance. The amount of funding for which counties are eligible ranged from $1,527.64 to $12,720,245.54.
PDPP Cohort I Grants - March 1, 2022 to March 1, 2025
The Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) made $49.5 million available to California’s 58 Counties to provide services in alignment with the State Budget Act of 2021 (Senate Bill 129). A list of the funded proposals and brief project summaries are provided below:
In October 2021, the BSCC released the PDPP Request for Applications. From October 4, 2021 to January 14, 2022, California counties were invited to apply for funding. For reference, review the Application Instruction Packet and Application Packet.
| # | Grantee | Project | Year-1 Funding |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alameda County | Post-Conviction Relief Unit | $2,107,280 |
| 2 | Butte County | Project Upstream | $287,130 |
| 3 | Contra Costa County | Post-Conviction Relief Pilot Project | $1,468,664 |
| 4 | El Dorado County | Legal Assistance & Advocacy | $250,991 |
| 5 | Fresno County | Post Conviction Team | $1,204,165 |
| 6 | Glenn County | Project Partner | $35,544 |
| 7 | Imperial County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $224,536 |
| 8 | Kern County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $1,074,824 |
| 9 | Lake County | Indigent Defense | $81,404 |
| 10 | Los Angeles County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $12,700,000 |
| 11 | Marin County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $339,812 |
| 12 | Mendocino County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $110,882 |
| 13 | Monterey County | Indigent Defense Services | $525,758 |
| 14 | Nevada County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $132,270 |
| 15 | Orange County | Public Defender Pilot Project | $4,004,655 |
| 16 | Placer County | Project Innocent | $512,523 |
| 17 | Riverside County | Public Defender Pilot Project | $3,042,889 |
| 18 | Sacramento County | Public Defender Pilot Project | $1,911,525 |
| 19 | San Bernardino | Indigent Defense | $2,633,006 |
| 20 | San Diego County | Indigent Defense | $4,088,759 |
| 21 | San Joaquin County | Public Defender Pilot Project | $932,789 |
| 22 | San Mateo County | Bar Association Private Defender Project | $975,173 |
| 23 | Santa Clara | Public Defense Pilot Project | $2,445,538 |
| 24 | Santa Cruz County | Post-Conviction Relief Team | $354,416 |
| 25 | Shasta County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $223,555 |
| 26 | Siskiyou County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $57,037 |
| 27 | Solano County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $556,698 |
| 28 | Sonoma County | Law Office of the Public Defender | $653,327 |
| 29 | Stanislaus County | Public Defense Pilot Project | $674,632 |
| 30 | Tehama County | Program for Supplemental Indigent Defense Services | $79,510 |
| 31 | Tulare County | Post-Conviction Project | $553,647 |
| 32 | Ventura County | Public Defender’s Post-Conviction Project | $1,057,618 |
| 33 | Yolo County | Youth Offender Parole Reports | $289,129 |
| 34 | Yuba County | Project Second Chance | $92,107 |
Public Defense Pilot Program Orientation – Year 1
Agenda: PDPP Grantee Orientation March 10-11, 2022opens PDF file
Section 1: Welcome and Grant Overviews – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
Section 2: Administrative Overviews – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
- File 1: Grant Admin Guideopens PDF file
- File 2: Grant Application Instructions & Agreement Sampleopens PDF file
Section 3: Fiscal Responsibilities – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
- File 1: Invoice Workbookopens EXCEL file
- File 2: Salaries and Benefits Worksheetopens EXCEL file
- File 3: Supporting Document Checklistopens WORD file
- File 4: Desk Review Instructionsopens PDF file
Section 4: Data Collection & Evaluation Requirements – Introduction by Rand
Section 5: Program Responsibilities – PowerPointopens PDF file
- File 1: CMV PDF
Public Defense Pilot Program Orientation Video - March 10-11, 2022
Cohort I Date and Evaluation Orientation
Agenda
PDPP Cohort II Grants - March 1, 2023 to March 1, 2025
The PDPP was designed as a three-year program funded with annual appropriations from the State Budget Act. Applicants that did not apply for funding in year one, may apply in year two and/or three.
The two-year PDPP service period covers March 1, 2023 - January 1, 2025. However, an additional two months (January 2, 2025 - March 1, 2025) is included in the term of the agreement for the sole purpose of submitting final progress reports and any data required for the statewide evaluation.
In October 2022, the BSCC released the Request for Applications for the Cohort II Public Defense Pilot Program. California counties were invited to apply for funding. For reference, review the Application Instruction Packet and Application Packet.
Public Defense Pilot Program Orientation – Year 2
Section 1: Welcome and Grant Overviews – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
Section 2: Administrative Overviews – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
File 1 Grant Admin Guideopens PDF file
File 2 Grant Application Instructions & Agreement Sampleopens PDF file
Section 3: Fiscal Responsibilities – PowerPoint Slidesopens PDF file
File 1 Invoice Workbookopens EXCEL file
File 2 Salaries and Benefits Worksheetopens EXCEL file
File 3 Supporting Document Checklistopens WORD file
File 4 Desk Review Instructionsopens PDF file
Section 4: Data Collection & Evaluation Requirements – Introduction by Rand
Section 5: Program Responsibilities – PowerPoint slidesopens PDF file
File 1 CMV PDFopens WORD file
Contact the BSCC regarding the Public Defense Pilot Program
If you have questions about this program email:
- Field Representative, Dameion Renault at Dameion.Renault@bscc.ca.govcreate new email
- Program Analyst, Joseph Mendosa at Joseph.Mendosa@bscc.ca.govcreate new email
This website will be updated as new information becomes available. You may also subscribe to the BSCC email list for updates about BSCC’s grant projects and funding opportunities. Sign up for BSCC email updates.