Santa Clara County taps new public defender as justice system hits ‘inflection point’

DAMON SILVER has for months led Santa Clara County’s public defender office in an acting role. Now his title is permanent — and he’s stepping into a watershed moment for Silicon Valley’s criminal justice landscape.

The tech region’s crime-fueling wealth divide has deepened to “instability and revolt” levels, according to economists. The mayor of the county’s largest city wants to punish petty criminals more harshly. The sheriff-run county jails, where many of Silver’s indigent clients await court hearings, have been slow to improve inhumane conditions under federal consent decrees, according to federally-appointed monitors.