San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office announced on August 5 that he had ‘secured’ $3.4 million in philanthropic funding aimed at enhancing legal defense for immigrants amid a growing demand for these services.
The announcement was perceived as an important step amidst a significant budget deficit.
However, evidence suggests that Lurie was not instrumental in obtaining this funding.
Instead, the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office had pursued a grant from the Crankstart Foundation, the philanthropic arm of billionaire Michael Moritz, months prior.
Crankstart awarded the grant to the Public Defender’s Office, enabling them to hire three attorneys and a paralegal for its immigrant defense unit.
Mission Local first reported this development on June 23.
Once the grant was awarded, a legislative process was required for the funds to be appropriated.
The Board of Supervisors routinely passes laws to ‘accept and expend’ such grants, with 78 of these laws introduced in just one year.
In this case, District 5 Supervisor Bilal Mahmood co-sponsored the accompanying ordinance with Lurie.
David Campos, a former District 9 supervisor from 2008 to 2016, described Lurie’s contribution as ‘not much of a lift’ and characterized the act of sponsoring legislation for accepting a grant as a ‘very routine’ procedure.
He emphasized that simply accepting grants previously applied for lacks the substance needed to adequately protect immigrant communities.
Former District 8 supervisor Bevan Dufty acknowledged the ‘pro forma-ness’ of Lurie’s action but considered it beneficial for the mayor to align himself with such an important issue.
Charles Lutvak, Lurie’s spokesman, countered that the mayor’s sponsorship of the legislation was significant, calling it a necessary legislative step that he spearheaded.
However, Lutvak did not clarify whether Lurie or his team played any additional role in helping the Public Defender’s Office secure the grant beyond sponsoring the legislation.
Crankstart prefers to maintain discretion regarding its donations, and when it comes to press releases about funding, it requires grantees to seek their approval first.
On the same day as Lurie’s announcement, a consultant from Crankstart reached out to the Public Defender’s Office seeking clarification about the funding mentioned in the press release.
The Public Defender’s Office confirmed that it was the same funding but expressed surprise at the announcement’s timing, stating they were unaware of the press release.
Crankstart has opted not to comment on the matter.
While Mayor Lurie’s office made it appear as though they were increasing funding for immigrant defense, in reality, he effectively reduced it.
In late 2024, then-Mayor London Breed provided one-time funding of $878,000 to local immigrant legal organizations in anticipation of challenges posed by President Donald Trump’s expected second term.
Lurie chose not to renew this grant, leading to a reduction in support for immigrant defense, despite appeals from advocacy groups to maintain funding levels.
Lariza Dugan-Cuadra, executive director of Carecen, wrote in a June email to Lurie’s staff about the urgent need for funding to counteract increasing federal enforcement measures against immigrants.
Despite the urgent pleas for support, the Breed-era grant expired in June, leaving organizations like Carecen without the necessary resources.
San Francisco funds immigration legal services primarily through the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, partnering with Carecen and 15 other organizations part of the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative.
The Public Defender’s Office also maintains an immigration unit, contributing to immigration defense efforts.
The $878,000 grant awarded during the Breed administration allowed these organizations to expand their casework and implement additional legal clinics, thereby increasing access to legal support for immigrants.
In Lurie’s recent press release, he mentioned other initiatives his office was undertaking to support immigrants, such as coordinating with the San Francisco Police Department to inform his office whenever officers were called to suspected ICE arrests and conducting emergency preparedness exercises with various city departments.
However, the details surrounding these initiatives remain unclear as the mayor’s office did not respond to inquiries from Mission Local regarding this aspect of their efforts.
In response to questions about why the grant was not renewed, Lutvak stated that as a one-time grant, there was no expectation for the funds to be allocated again.
‘When one-time dollars are allocated, they go away after they’re spent,’ he explained.
The absence of renewed funding comes at a time when incidents of ICE enforcement in San Francisco are reportedly increasing.
Immigrants are regularly detained during check-ins at the ICE field office located at 630 Sansome Street or at various court hearings.
These detentions have caused a surge in demand for legal services, which are already stretched thin in the Bay Area.
Groups within the immigrant legal defense collaborative, such as the San Francisco Bar Association, serve as vital resources for individuals facing ICE arrests.
Their ‘Attorney of the Day’ program aids individuals, mainly asylum seekers, who often appear in court without legal representation, where they risk immediate detention.
One harrowing experience involved an asylum seeker who, frightened by the presence of ICE agents, attempted to flee and was tackled by officers.
These organizations also play crucial roles in the Rapid Response network, monitoring ICE activities and dispatching lawyers to assist individuals detained during immigration arrests.
Through immediate legal advice and connections to long-term counsel, these legal resources are essential for those facing the harsh realities of immigration enforcement.
As the landscape of immigrant legal defense funding shifts in San Francisco, the implications of these changes on the lives of vulnerable communities remain a pressing concern.
image source from：missionlocal
