LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday appointed a deputy county counsel to act as interim public defender.

Following a closed session discussion that began in the morning and was continued later in the late afternoon, the board appointed Senior Deputy County Counsel Carlos Torrez to fill the job temporarily.

The county reported that Torrez accepted the appointment, which took effect immediately on Tuesday, the day that outgoing Chief Public Defender Raymond Buenaventura’s tenure officially came to an end. 

Buenaventura, who joined the county two years ago, was hired Oct. 14 as chief public defender by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors.

He later submitted his resignation to the county of Lake, with the supervisors accepting it in closed session last week.

Torrez received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and was admitted to the State Bar of California in 2009.

He was involved with the county’s conversion from an indigent defense contract to the new statutory Public Defender’s Office, which the county said “plays a vital role in ensuring effective client representation and the responsible stewardship of public resources.”

The county’s take on the office’s effectiveness is despite ongoing concerns from county defense attorneys and criticism from judges about the performance of the public defender’s attorneys in court since the office was restarted in 2023. A previous iteration of the Public Defender’s Office was abandoned 40 years ago due to the high cost of dealing with conflicts of interest among its attorneys.

The county’s announcement on his interim appointment said Torrez brings 10 years of dedicated public service experience, including extensive work in complex litigation, management, leadership and policy development. 

“During his tenure with the Office of the County Counsel, he has demonstrated unwavering professionalism, sound legal judgment, and a deep commitment to access to justice for all Lake County residents,” the county’s Monday evening announcement said.

As interim public defender, the county said Torrez will lead a team of “dedicated attorneys and professional staff,” overseeing the office’s criminal defense work including juvenile and probate/conservatorship divisions. 

The county congratulated Torrez on what it called a “well deserved appointment.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow her on Twitter, @ERLarson, and on Bluesky, @erlarson.bsky.social. Find Lake County News on the following platforms: Facebook, @LakeCoNews; X, @LakeCoNews; Threads, @lakeconews, and on Bluesky, @lakeconews.bsky.social.