Legal Question in Criminal Law in California

He should ask the judge to appoint the Public Defender. Public defenders are attorneys who are paid by the government to represent criminal defendants who can't afford to hire a private attorney.

For some reason, some defendants believe they will get a better defense from an attorney who is willing to work for free than from a public defender who is paid to represent them. Public defenders are often very experienced and good lawyers, but they tend to have large caseloads. Private attorneys who charge cut rate fees tend to make up for it in volume and may have to take even more cases than the public defender.