King Co. Prosecutor raises alarm over imbalance between public defenders, prosecutors

Concerns over King County prosecutor funding disparity

The planned lack of funding for King County prosecutors has some cities concerned, especially those with a higher number of crimes to prosecute.

KING COUNTY, Wash. - King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion is raising alarms over what she calls a growing imbalance between the number of public defenders and prosecutors, warning that without additional funding, victims’ rights and community safety could be at risk.

By the numbers:

According to Manion, the county currently employs 194 public defenders compared to just 144 prosecutors. In her 2026 budget request, she asked for funding to hire 21 new prosecutors, 21 paralegals and 16 victim advocates to help manage rising caseloads and address crimes such as human trafficking, elder abuse and internet crimes against children.

However, Manion said the county executive’s proposed budget would instead add 17 new public defenders — but no new prosecutors. That would widen the gap, leaving 67 more public defenders than prosecutors across the county.

In a letter this week to the King County Council, Manion expressed her frustration over the proposed spending plan. She says one prosecutor is assigned to handle Internet Crimes Against Children has 136 filed cases right now. No public defender has a high case load like that.

The two prosecutors handling vehicular assault and vehicular homicides have caseloads ranging between 30 and 78 felony cases. The prosecutor leading the effort to reduce violence in King County's schools is also managing 55 criminal cases. 

"I do not understand why it is OK to ignore the constitutional rights of victims or fail to properly fund prosecutorial resources aimed at addressing internet crimes against children, human trafficking, wage theft, elder abuse, juvenile possession and other serious issues," Manion wrote.

King County Prosecutor's Office at risk of $15.5M cuts

King County is in a dire fiscal situation, facing a $150 million shortfall in its general fund. Among county agencies facing budget cuts is the King County Prosecutor's Office.

Manion supported HB 2015 which authorized local governments to enact a new 1/10 of 1% Criminal Justice sales tax to help fund prosecutors and support for victims. "I am disappointed this is not the approach reflected in the current draft of the proposed 2026 -27 budget, and that more of this new revenue is not being used to fund victim services and to address critical public safety needs that impact all our King County communities," Manion wrote. "I am asking this Council to honor the commitment behind the enactment of our new CJ sales tax," she added. 

Local perspective:

The disparity could have the most significant impact on South King County cities, such as Kent, which tend to see higher rates of crime.

"We are very frustrated. We're grateful that HB 2015 passed, giving cities and counties the authority to pass this tax. But the language in it is so broad that it does not require the funding of things like the prosecutor's office, additional law enforcement officers, and allows for programs to be funded and that kind of thing. So, it is very frustrating because I think that the general public believes that a public safety sales tax will be used for public safety purposes," said Mayor Dana Ralph in an interview on Seattle News Tonight. 

She says the lack of funding for prosecutors is deeply concerning for local governments already struggling with public safety demands.

"We need to fund the Prosecutor's Office, it's a simple message. The system works because it's balanced and, in this case, it's no longer balanced. When there are so many more public defenders than there are prosecutors, the system can't operate and our residents, the residents of King County deserve better," said Ralph.

The King County Council is expected to review and debate the executive’s proposed budget in the coming weeks before voting on a final version later this fall.

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