State public defender asks Legislature to make Racial Justice Act positions permanent as workload spikes Galit Lipa, California state public defender, told the Senate Budget Subcommittee the Office of the State Public Defender needs permanent staff to handle retroactive Racial Justice Act (RJA) claims, citing tens of thousands of pages of records and an estimated 11,000 additional staff hours per year.

California's public defender warns that without permanent staffing, the monumental workload from the Racial Justice Act could leave countless claims without relief.

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