County Public Defender, Moorpark Philanthropist Honored

A county public defender and a Moorpark philanthropist were honored for their work Friday by the Ventura County Criminal Defense Bar Assn.

Deputy Public Defender Todd Howeth and Moorpark resident Claire Hope each received the Joyce Yoshioka Award for their contributions to the county’s criminal justice system.

The award is named for Yoshioka, former chief deputy public defender who died of ovarian cancer at age 42 in 1990. At the time, she was the highest-ranking woman in any public defender’s office in the state.

Howeth, a four-year veteran of the Ventura County office who spent six years in the Orange County public defender’s office, “is a very hard worker who is being recognized for his litigation skills,” Assistant Public Defender Jean Farley said in an interview Friday.

“He is not afraid to litigate just about anything,” and has been particularly successful in winning acquittal for defendants who were innocent despite apparently strong evidence against them, said Farley, who helped coordinate the awards.

Hope received the civilian award for her work with homeless Vietnam War veterans.

Hope has organized “stand-downs,” marshaling doctors, dentists, lawyers, job counselors and supplies of food and clothing together in tent villages on the Ventura College campus to serve the veterans, Farley said.

“What she does is organize these things . . . to try and put these people back on their feet and get them headed in the right direction so they can be productive members of society,” Farley said.