DA vs Public Defense: Funding & Charging Patterns
Track how prosecution resources compare to defense across 9 Bay Area counties
For every $1 the DA gets, public defense gets $0.51 (FY 2023-24)
The ABA recommends 1:1 parity. The Bay Area average is 0.51. Statewide is worse at 0.48.
$644.0M
Total DA Budget (FY 2023-24)
$342.5M
Total PD Budget (FY 2023-24)
$0.51
Avg Parity Ratio (FY 2023-24)
795
Total DA Attorneys (FY 2023-24)
488
Total PD Attorneys (FY 2023-24)
10.7%
Avg Decline Rate (FY 2023-24)
Key Insights
Funding Gap
The Bay Area would need $301.5M more in PD funding to reach parity with DA offices (FY 2023-24).
Worst Parity
Solano has the worst ratio at 0.37 (FY 2023-24) — PD gets only 37 cents per DA dollar.
Best Parity
San Francisco leads with 0.65 ratio (FY 2023-24) — still below the ABA recommended 1:1.
Decline Rate Spread
DA decline rates range from 6.2% to 17.5% (FY 2023-24) — a 2.8-fold difference in how often DAs refuse to prosecute.
Funding Parity Table
Sorted by parity ratio (worst first). Red = below 0.45, yellow = 0.45-0.55, green = above 0.55.
Scroll right for more columns →
| County | DA Budget (FY 2023-24) | PD Budget (FY 2023-24) | Parity Ratio | DA Attorneys | PD Attorneys | Attorney Ratio | Parity Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solano | $40.0M | $14.8M | 0.37 | 40 | 18 | 0.45 | |
| Contra Costa | $95.0M | $38.0M | 0.40 | 100 | 52 | 0.52 | |
| Napa | $14.5M | $6.8M | 0.47 | 15 | 8 | 0.53 | |
| San Mateo | $62.0M | $30.5M | 0.49 | 70 | 40 | 0.57 | |
| Sonoma | $42.0M | $20.5M | 0.49 | 45 | 26 | 0.58 | |
| Santa Clara | $155.0M | $82.0M | 0.53 | 200 | 120 | 0.60 | |
| Marin | $22.5M | $12.4M | 0.55 | 25 | 16 | 0.64 | |
| Alameda | $128.0M | $82.5M | 0.64 | 160 | 108 | 0.68 | |
| San Francisco | $85.0M | $55.0M | 0.65 | 140 | 100 | 0.71 |
Parity Comparison Visual
Each bar shows DA budget (red) vs PD budget (blue) — proportionally.
How DAs Charge
Select a county to view its charging pattern breakdown.
Santa Clara - Charging Patterns
10.2%
Decline Rate
11.5%
Diversion Referral Rate
Special Units
DA Office Profiles
9 Bay Area counties — budgets, staffing, and charging metrics.
Santa Clara
0.53Alameda
0.64Contra Costa
0.40San Francisco
0.65San Mateo
0.49Sonoma
0.49Solano
0.37Marin
0.55Napa
0.47How Does the Bay Area Compare?
Comparing the Bay Area average parity ratio against state, national, and ABA benchmarks.
$0.48
California (statewide)
$0.51
Bay Area (average)
$0.53
National (average)
$1.00
ABA Recommended
Methodology & Sources
Data Sources
- County Budget Documents (FY 2023-24) — Individual county adopted budgets, district attorney and public defender line items
- California State Auditor, Public Defender Caseload Report (2022)
- California DOJ Criminal Justice Statistics Center
- Public Policy Institute of California
Coverage: FY 2023-24 | Last updated: 2025-06
Methodology
Parity ratios are calculated by dividing the Public Defender budget by the District Attorney budget for each county. Attorney ratios are similarly calculated. Budget data is sourced from county adopted budgets for FY 2023-24. Charging patterns and decline rates are derived from California DOJ Criminal Justice Statistics Center data and county-level reporting.