California / State Public Defender
Agency file
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.
What the records show
These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.
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.
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.
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).
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
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
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.
Record list
Page 1
Legal Analyst/State Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At State Public Defender, Yasmine Kahly serves as a Legal Analyst. They work full-time. Their 2025 pay totaled $42,920. Union affiliation: R01.
Legal Assistant/State Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Guadalupe Cabrera works as a Legal Assistant for State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. Guadalupe earned $40,981 in 2025. Union affiliation: R01.
Student Assistant/State Public Defender
Source-specific fields
At State Public Defender, Raeven Duckett serves as a Student Assistant. They work intermittent. Their 2025 pay totaled $36,612. Union affiliation: E.
Attorney IV/State Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Anne Lackey holds the role of Attorney IV at State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. In 2024, their total compensation was $36,531. They are represented by R02.
Administrative Assistant I/State Public Defender
Source-specific fields
Lisa Kilgore works as a Administrative Assistant I for State Public Defender. Their status is full-time. Lisa earned $36,185 in 2025. They are represented by R01.