Sonoma County — Criminal Defense Intelligence
Comprehensive intelligence briefing for Sonoma County — facing a critical retirement wave (31.3%), the Bay Area’s highest vacancy rate (11.1%), 2nd-highest judicial caseload (825 cases/judge), and the only county using the VPRAI risk assessment tool.
Criminal Filings
13,200
Cases/Judge
825
Vacancies
2 / 18
PD/DA Parity
0.49
Retirement Wave
31.3%
Pretrial Detention
71.5%
Sonoma County Court System
Caseload, disposition, and judicial capacity data — FY 2023-24.
Criminal Filings
13,200
3,900 felonies · 9,300 misdemeanors
Dispositions
12,600
95.5% clearance rate
Pending Cases
4,450
+3.8% YoY growth
Cases per Judge
825
2nd highest in Bay Area
Avg Days to Disposition
152
Trial Rate
2.1%
Infractions
22,400
Bench Composition
Judicial profiles, vacancies, and demographics — 2024.
Authorized Judgeships
18
16 filled
Vacancies
2
11.1% highest in Bay Area
Commissioners
4
20 total bench officers
Criminal Assignments
6
4 civil · 4 family · 2 juvenile
Judicial Demographics
Gender
Male: 9 (56%)
Female: 7 (44%)
Race/Ethnicity
White: 10 (63%)
Hispanic: 3
Black: 1
Asian: 1
Other/Declined: 1
63% white — low racial diversity
Prior Career
Prosecutor: 7 (44%)
Public Defender: 2 (13%)
Private Practice: 5
Government/Other: 2
44% prosecutors vs 13% public defenders
Appointed By
Newsom: 6
Brown: 6
Schwarzenegger: 3
Other: 1
Avg years on bench: 11.8
Retirement Eligible (5yr)
5 judges
31.3% of bench — 2nd highest
Vacancy Rate
11.1%
HIGHEST in Bay Area
Imminent Retirement Wave
Sonoma already has the highest vacancy rate (11.1%) AND the 2nd-largest retirement wave (31.3%). If 5 judges retire as projected, vacancies could reach 39% — potentially crippling criminal court operations.
Prosecution & Defense Funding
DA vs PD budgets, charging patterns, and resource parity — FY 2023-24.
DA Budget
$42M
45 attorneys
PD Budget
$21M
26 attorneys
PD/DA Ratio
0.49
Below average
Attorney Ratio
0.58
Decline Rate
8.5%
Diversion Rate
7.2%
Felony Filing Rate
660/100K
High
Case Review
11 days
2nd slowest
Charging Patterns
Pretrial Detention & Bail
Jail population, pretrial detention, and release patterns — 2023.
Avg Daily Jail Pop
920
84.1% capacity
Detention Rate
71.5%
Near average
Median Bail
$40K
OR Release Rate
28.4%
Pretrial Detainees
658
Avg Days Detained
26
FTA Rate
14.5%
Pretrial Staff
8
Release Types
Note: Sonoma is the only Bay Area county using VPRAI
Risk assessment tool: Virginia Pretrial Risk Assessment Instrument (VPRAI)
Specialty Courts
Data Sources
Related Intelligence
Explore All 9 Bay Area Counties
Compare Sonoma with other counties — court, judicial, prosecution, and pretrial data.