Floor SpeechNeutral2026-09-16

HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA "PATTI" LEE

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Context

On 2026-09-16, Representative Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) delivered a floor speech titled "HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA "PATTI" LEE" in the House.

Full Text

HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA "PATTI" LEE

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E940] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA ``PATTI'' LEE ______ HON. LATEEFAH SIMON of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, September 16, 2026 Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a beacon of justice and reform in the Bay Area, Ms. Patricia ``Patti'' Lee, the Assistant Chief Public Defender of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. Ms. Lee was born in San Francisco's Chinatown and raised in the Richmond District. A lifelong San Franciscan, Ms. Lee attended Lafayette Elementary School, Presidio Middle School, and Washington High School. Ms. Lee went on to receive her B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley and earned her J.D. at Lincoln Law School. In 1977, Ms. Lee began her career with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, joining what was then known as the Juvenile Unit. Ms. Lee would go on to become the Managing Attorney of the Youth Defender Unit and serve in that role for more than three decades. As Managing Attorney, Ms. Lee spearheaded a revolution in the office's approach to juvenile defense, expanding access to social workers and defense-based disposition reports, reducing state institutional commitments for San Francisco youth, and championing alternatives to incarceration. Under Ms. Lee's leadership, juvenile commitments to state institutions were nearly eliminated, creating new hope and opportunities for hundreds of justice-involved youths. Due to Ms. Lee's indefatigable advocacy, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in 2019 to permanently close the city's Juvenile Hall, becoming the first major city in the Nation to vote to end the practice of jailing children. In addition to her work with the Youth Defender Unit, Ms. Lee has also overseen the Public Defender's Office's Defend Division, providing sound guidance to dozens of public defenders, attorneys, and client advocates working to represent San Franciscans facing juvenile, immigration, post-conviction, and mental health challenges. Ms. Lee has been recognized at the local, state, and national level for her fearless advocacy and service. In 2017, Ms. Lee was appointed to then-President Barack Obama's Science Advisory Board on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Ms. Lee has also served as Co-Director of the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center and served on the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, the Family and Law Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council, the Center for Families, Children and the Courts, and has participated in the California Courts Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee. Additionally, Ms. Lee has served on the boards of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and East Bay Children's Law Offices. For her ceaseless efforts to advocate for juvenile justice reform, Ms. Lee has received the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking's Modern Day Abolitionist Award for Outstanding Policy and Legal Achievements, the Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition's Woman Warrior Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law, the National Juvenile Defender Center's Leadership Award for Excellence in Juvenile Defense, the Pacific Juvenile Defender of the Year Award, and the California Wellness Foundation's Peace Prize Award for her commitment to promoting peace in local communities. Throughout her storied career, Ms. Lee has doggedly pursued the fight for justice, dignity, and reform, placing the rights and futures of young people at the center of her work. Ms. Lee has been an exemplary public servant and an inspiration for generations of public defenders, advocates, and reformers. Her impact will be felt by Californians for decades to come. As she enters her retirement, I thank Ms. Lee for her decades of service and wish her health, hope, and happiness in the years ahead. ____________________

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HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA "PATTI" LEE Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 146 (Wednesday, September 16, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E940] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF ASSISTANT CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDER PATRICIA ``PATTI'' LEE ______ HON. LATEEFAH SIMON of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, September 16, 2026 Ms. SIMON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a beacon of justice and reform in the Bay Area, Ms. Patricia ``Patti'' Lee, the Assistant Chief Public Defender of the San Francisco Public Defender's Office. Ms. Lee was born in San Francisco's Chinatown and raised in the Richmond District. A lifelong San Franciscan, Ms. Lee attended Lafayette Elementary School, Presidio Middle School, and Washington High School. Ms. Lee went on to receive her B.A. at the University of California, Berkeley and earned her J.D. at Lincoln Law School. In 1977, Ms. Lee began her career with the San Francisco Public Defender's Office, joining what was then known as the Juvenile Unit. Ms. Lee would go on to become the Managing Attorney of the Youth Defender Unit and serve in that role for more than three decades. As Managing Attorney, Ms. Lee spearheaded a revolution in the office's approach to juvenile defense, expanding access to social workers and defense-based disposition reports, reducing state institutional commitments for San Francisco youth, and championing alternatives to incarceration. Under Ms. Lee's leadership, juvenile commitments to state institutions were nearly eliminated, creating new hope and opportunities for hundreds of justice-involved youths. Due to Ms. Lee's indefatigable advocacy, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted in 2019 to permanently close the city's Juvenile Hall, becoming the first major city in the Nation to vote to end the practice of jailing children. In addition to her work with the Youth Defender Unit, Ms. Lee has also overseen the Public Defender's Office's Defend Division, providing sound guidance to dozens of public defenders, attorneys, and client advocates working to represent San Franciscans facing juvenile, immigration, post-conviction, and mental health challenges. Ms. Lee has been recognized at the local, state, and national level for her fearless advocacy and service. In 2017, Ms. Lee was appointed to then-President Barack Obama's Science Advisory Board on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Ms. Lee has also served as Co-Director of the Pacific Juvenile Defender Center and served on the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, the Family and Law Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council, the Center for Families, Children and the Courts, and has participated in the California Courts Family and Juvenile Law Advisory Committee. Additionally, Ms. Lee has served on the boards of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and East Bay Children's Law Offices. For her ceaseless efforts to advocate for juvenile justice reform, Ms. Lee has received the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking's Modern Day Abolitionist Award for Outstanding Policy and Legal Achievements, the Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition's Woman Warrior Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law, the National Juvenile Defender Center's Leadership Award for Excellence in Juvenile Defense, the Pacific Juvenile Defender of the Year Award, and the California Wellness Foundation's Peace Prize Award for her commitment to promoting peace in local communities. Throughout her storied career, Ms. Lee has doggedly pursued the fight for justice, dignity, and reform, placing the rights and futures of young people at the center of her work. Ms. Lee has been an exemplary public servant and an inspiration for generations of public defenders, advocates, and reformers. Her impact will be felt by Californians for decades to come. As she enters her retirement, I thank Ms. Lee for her decades of service and wish her health, hope, and happiness in the years ahead. ____________________