At the center of this case is the San Mateo County Private Defender Program (PDP).
Instead of a traditional public defender system, San Mateo contracts defense services through a bar association–run private model.
Reyna’s assigned attorneys allegedly:
- Failed to investigate exculpatory police reports
- Ignored recorded statements from her child
- Did not challenge defects in the criminal complaint
- Pressured her to accept a plea as the only viable option
- Maintained relationships with prosecutors that raised conflict concerns
Reyna formally objected to PDP representation — in writing.
The system proceeded anyway.