BATON ROUGE— The East Baton Rouge Public Defender's office warned that Mayor-President Sid Edwards' proposed budget cuts could severely reduce staff, threatening the agency’s ability to serve the community.

Chief Deputy Defender Kyla Romanach said the agency is already short-staffed, but its services are essential to the parish.

“No one wants a public defender until they need a public defender. When you need a public defender, you need a public defender that’s adequately resourced," Romanach said.

After Edwards announced his proposed budget cuts to city-parish departments, Romanach said she initially thought she would get a fair cut along with other agencies, until she actually took a look at the budget.

"We are receiving a 38% budget cut. The district attorney's office is receiving

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