California / State Public Defender

Agency file

State Public Defender

Source file: California — State Employee Compensation (SCO Payroll Data Warehouse, CPRA) / ingested Jul 4, 2026

The State Public Defender handles legal functions of government — prosecution, legal advice, and representing the state in court.

In 2025, this agency had 109 employees with median total compensation of $113,709; the highest distinct record was $224,017.

Year: 2025
Total payroll: $12.9M
Employees: 109
Median total: $113,709
Highest record: $224,017

What the records show

Compensation analytics

These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.

Salary distribution

$1,796$207,360+

Hover a bar for its range; click to filter the list below.

How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 109 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($113,709) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.

Average pay composition

Base — $114,988 (97%)
Overtime — $11 (0%)
Other — $3,227 (3%)
Benefits — $0 (0%)

What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.

Pay percentiles

10th

25th

Median

75th

90th

$34,263

$74,538

$113,709

$177,588

$195,268

The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $195,268 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $34,263. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).

Largest job titles

18 · $167,542

16 · $192,971

10 · $186,501

6 · $113,613

Staff Services Manager I

6 · $92,989

The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.

Trend

Year over year

How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 3 published years.

Year	Total payroll	Employees	Median pay
2023	$11.7M —	104 —	$120,733 —
2024	$12.3M ▲ 5.5%	105 ▲ 1.0%	$108,863 ▼ 9.8%
2025	$12.9M ▲ 4.5%	109 ▲ 3.8%	$113,709 ▲ 4.5%

Compare

Similar departments

Departments elsewhere with the most similar mix of roles — a proxy for the same kind of agency, matched by workforce composition rather than name. Pay is not cost-of-living adjusted.

Office of Administrative Law California71% match
Office of Public Utility Counsel Texas58% match
Public Defender City and County of San Francisco55% match
Public Defender Council, Georgia Georgia53% match
District Attorney Allegheny County, Pennsylvania50% match
Attorney General's Office South Carolina48% match

Record list

Employees

Page 1

Galit Lipa

C.E.A./State Public Defender

2023 total comp

$196,979

Base pay: $194,609
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $2,370
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $196,979
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: M01
Work county: Sacramento

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,498
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260137500002
Salary Total: $16,498
Total Pay: $196,979

Galit Lipa holds the role of C.E.A. at State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2023, their total compensation was $196,979. Their bargaining unit is M01.

Jenny Andrews

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,802

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,802
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260135749026
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,802

Jenny Andrews is a Attorney Supervisor at State Public Defender. They work full-time. 2025 total compensation came to $195,802. Union affiliation: S02.

Laurel Arroyo

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,802

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,802
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: P

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260135749025
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,802

Laurel Arroyo holds the role of Attorney Supervisor at State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $195,802. Union affiliation: S02.

Denise Kendall

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,802

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,802
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749013
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,802

Denise Kendall works as a Attorney Supervisor for State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. Denise earned $195,802 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is S02.

Cheryl Renard

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,802

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,802
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: D

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749011
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,802

At State Public Defender, Cheryl Renard serves as a Attorney Supervisor. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $195,802. Union affiliation: S02.

Alyssa Mellott

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,728

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $276
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,728
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: C

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749017
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,728

Alyssa Mellott works as a Attorney Supervisor for State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. Alyssa earned $195,728 in 2025. Their bargaining unit is S02.

Erik Levin

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,652

Base pay: $195,452
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $200
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,652
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: B

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749015
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,652

Erik Levin holds the role of Attorney Supervisor at State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2025, their total compensation was $195,652. Their bargaining unit is S02.

Nerissa Huertas

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$195,268

Base pay: $194,918
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $195,268
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: J

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749008
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $195,268

At State Public Defender, Nerissa Huertas serves as a Attorney Supervisor. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $195,268. They are represented by S02.

Laura Kelly

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$193,555

Base pay: $193,205
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $350
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $193,555
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749027
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $193,555

Laura Kelly works as a Attorney Supervisor for State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. Laura earned $193,555 in 2025. They are represented by S02.

Lisa D'Orazio

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2025 total comp

$192,386

Base pay: $192,186
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $200
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $192,386
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: A

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,900
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749023
Salary Total: $16,119
Total Pay: $192,386

At State Public Defender, Lisa D'Orazio serves as a Attorney Supervisor. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $192,386. Their bargaining unit is S02.

Alexander Post

Attorney Supervisor/State Public Defender

2024 total comp

$192,197

Base pay: $191,947
Overtime: $0
Other pay: $250
Benefits: $0
Total compensation: $192,197
Employment type: Full-Time
Union / bargaining unit: S02
Work county: Alameda
Middle name: S

Source-specific fields

Base Pay: $16,408
Cs/csu: Cs
Position Number: 4260155749020
Salary Total: $16,408
Total Pay: $192,197

At State Public Defender, Alexander Post serves as a Attorney Supervisor. They work full-time. Their 2024 pay totaled $192,197. Union affiliation: S02.