Executive Briefing
Operational and strategic intelligence for criminal defense leadership — Alameda County and the Bay Area.
Operational Dashboard
Key criminal justice system metrics for Alameda County
Pretrial Indicators
Prosecution Activity
Charging patterns, decline rates, and funding parity
DA vs PD Funding Parity
Ratio: 0.64 (ABA recommends 1.0)
Case Flow — Sentencing
Risk Alerts
Signals requiring immediate attention
Sentencing Reform — Youth Accountability
Would create a new wave of resentencing hearings similar to SB 1437. Defense attorneys, mitigation specialists, and investigators would be needed to develop youth-factor evidence and present resentencing petitions. Significant impact on offices already managing heavy resentencing caseloads.
Alameda County: Judicial vacancy crisis (9.7%)
7 of 72 authorized judgeships vacant. 16 judges (24.6%) eligible for retirement within 5 years.
CAAP attorney shortage crisis
160+ panel attorneys serving Alameda County conflict cases. Attorney shortage reported — 59 defendants waiting for counsel as of September 2025. Recruitment must accelerate.
DA Jones Dickson Prop 36 filing surge
DA Ursula Jones Dickson filed 1,246 property crime cases in first 90 days (up from 780 in 2023). Prop 36 creating new felony wobblers. Conflict caseload expected to rise 25-30%.
AB 690: Caseload standards compliance deadline
AB 690 establishes caseload standards (RAND benchmarks: 1.1 felony cases/week, 2.1 misdemeanor DUI/week). Compliance deadline: January 1, 2027. CAAP must assess panel attorney caseloads.
ACLU 6th Amendment scrutiny in Alameda County
Defendants languishing in jail without counsel. Constitutional right to effective representation at risk. ACLU monitoring situation. Potential litigation exposure.
Action Items
Priority actions auto-generated from intelligence data
Respond to: Contra Costa County: Critical defense funding gap
PD receives only 40 cents per DA dollar. Attorney ratio: 0.52. Gap to parity: $57M.
Respond to: Solano County: Critical defense funding gap
PD receives only 37 cents per DA dollar. Attorney ratio: 0.45. Gap to parity: $25M.
Respond to: Contra Costa County: High pretrial detention (76.3%)
1404 pretrial detainees. Jail at 85.9% capacity. Median bail: $55K. OR rate: only 24.1%.
Respond to: Solano County: High pretrial detention (77.6%)
823 pretrial detainees. Jail at 94.8% capacity. Median bail: $50K. OR rate: only 21.3%.
Respond to: CAAP attorney shortage crisis
160+ panel attorneys serving Alameda County conflict cases. Attorney shortage reported — 59 defendants waiting for counsel as of September 2025. Recruitment must accelerate.
Respond to: DA Jones Dickson Prop 36 filing surge
DA Ursula Jones Dickson filed 1,246 property crime cases in first 90 days (up from 780 in 2023). Prop 36 creating new felony wobblers. Conflict caseload expected to rise 25-30%.
Respond to: ACLU 6th Amendment scrutiny in Alameda County
Defendants languishing in jail without counsel. Constitutional right to effective representation at risk. ACLU monitoring situation. Potential litigation exposure.
Audit panel attorney caseloads against AB 690 standards
Assess current caseloads per attorney vs RAND benchmarks (1.1 felony/week, 2.1 misdemeanor DUI/week). Identify gaps and calculate additional attorneys needed for compliance by Jan 2027.
Run contract burn-rate projection for $30M CAAP contract
With DA filings up 28%, model monthly spend rate. Determine if contract funding will last through fiscal year. Flag to ACBA leadership if projected shortfall.
Accelerate panel attorney recruitment pipeline
Target 20+ new panel attorneys this quarter. Focus on Prop 36 specialty cases. Consider outreach to recently admitted bar members and retiring prosecutors.
Prepare funding parity advocacy brief for Board of Supervisors
Document the 0.64 PD/DA funding ratio in Alameda. Compare to Bay Area average (0.51) and ABA recommended (1.0). Calculate cost of parity and present ROI case.
Environmental Radar
Signal intensity across 8 operating environment categories
Last updated: February 2026 · Sources: DOJ, BSCC, CA Courts, Legislature
Explore County Intelligence
Detailed criminal justice system analysis for each Bay Area county.