Blueprint Briefing: Week of 10/27/2025

No thanks to our Public Defender: people charged with crimes may walk before even going to court.

The San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, led by Mano Raju, is playing an infuriatingly dangerous game with public safety. Recently the Office has refused to take on new cases, prompting the SF Superior Court to consider releasing criminal defendants. Especially in the light of recent threats of federal intervention, now is not the time to be playing political games with public safety. Read more here.

We’re getting closer to a fully staffed SFPD and Sheriff’s Department.

In brighter news, after years of shortages and overworked officers, San Francisco’s police and sheriff’s departments are finally seeing real progress in rebuilding their ranks — and it’s not by accident. Thanks to continued investment from City Hall and some creative new tactics, both agencies are charting a course back to full strength. It’s proof that when the city takes its duty to public safety seriously, results follow. Read more here.  

Inside the corruption game at the Dream Keeper Initiative - and how it worked.

As we’ve covered before, the Dream Keeper Initiative (DKI) has turned into a textbook example of how City Hall dysfunction and political favoritism can twist good intentions into a full-blown scandal. A new City report lays bare the deep structural rot at the Human Rights Commission, the agency that led DKI, during the tenure of its now-disgraced former director, Sheryl Davis. Making matters worse, the very commissions meant to ensure accountability were riddled with conflicts of interest. Read more here.