LOS ANGELES COUNTY : 17-Year Head of Public Defender Office to Retire

Facing cuts in staff and pay, Wilbur F. Littlefield, who has headed the Los Angeles County public defender’s office for 17 years, said Monday he will retire next month, a staff member confirmed.

Littlefield, 70, a 36-year veteran of the office, which provides defense attorneys for those who cannot afford to hire their own, announced his plans at a staff meeting, said Assistant Public Defender Michael Judge.

“He was very upset about the budget cuts. . . . He has headed this office through a lot of rough times,” Judge said. “He is a wonderful man, and we are all shocked.”

A World War II hero, Littlefield worked his way through law school at night and worked as a stevedore on San Francisco’s docks by day.

As a public defender and administrator, he earned a reputation as strong, likable and unflappable. He had been highly critical of the budget cuts and was among those county administrators slated to receive an 8.4% cut in pay Oct. 1.