Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

You are almost certainly far better off with your PD than you would be on your own. Asking us to teach you the basics so you can defend yourself is like asking a bunch of doctors to teach you the basics so you can perform surgery. There's no way to teach you what you need to know in a short amount of time. That's why law school takes three years instead of an afternoon.

All PDs are overworked. But even in the limited time he will be able to spend on your case, your PD will probably give you a vastly better defense than anything you could manage on your own. And he'll know how to negotiate a deal for you, which is something you surely don't know how to do on your own.

Dream on my friend. It takes several years of law school, plus internship and training, plus experience to do the job. If you don't know how to represent yourself effectively against an experienced prosecutor intending to convict, then hire an attorney who does, who will try to get a dismissal, charge reduction, diversion, programs, or other decent outcome through motions, plea bargain, or take it to trial if appropriate. If serious about hiring counsel to help in this, and if this is in SoCal courts, feel free to contact me. I�ll be happy to help fight and get the best outcome possible, using whatever defenses and sympathies there may be.