Paul David Rea, 18, had his whole life ahead of him. Paul liked to be playful with his family, make funny videos with his friends, and was an adventurer. Paul was full of life and didn't take a day for granted. If you ask his grandmother, Julie Martinez, how she would describe Paul, she will say he was a family man, and was always willing to help his friends and people he loved the most.   

Tragically, his life was cut short on June 27, 2019, when Hector Saavedra, a Los Angeles Sheriff's deputy from the East L.A. station, shot Paul multiple times. Paul's life was stolen instantly. Paul was simply a passenger in a car when he and his friend were stopped during a traffic stop.   

Julie says that Paul was a victim of violence by the L.A. Sheriff's Department (LASD). “My grandson, Paul, was shot and murdered by a member of a gang called Banditos. This gang operates inside the LASD, specifically at the East L.A. station. My grandson was only eighteen-years-old. They stopped him and killed him on the street where he grew up,” says Julie. 

Julie's family has lived in East L.A. for generations, and according to her, the children and young adults in her family and community are frequently harassed by LASD. The sheriff's deputies have a reputation for being violent. This is what motivates Julie to take action and fight for justice. Julie has always been a human rights activist — especially for immigrants — but when it was her turn to seek justice for her grandson, she didn't know it would be this difficult.  

Julie's family looked for answers with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors (BOS). Her family would ask how something like this can happen and how sheriff deputies can end a life without provocation. They didn't find answers or the attention from legislators. Julie knew that in order to find answers, she had to join forces with organizations like the ACLU of Southern California, Check The Sheriff, Black Lives Matter of Los Angeles, National Lawyers Guild of Los Angeles, and Centro CSO of East Los Angeles. It was also important to tell the story of Paul on social media, so the family started an Instagram account called @Justice4PaulRea. By being part of these organizations, Julie learned that LASD terrorizes communities, not just in East L.A., but all over L.A. County, especially in communities of color. 

“This is unjust. Our family wants to know why the police have the right to take away the life of an innocent person like Paul. Paul was shot multiple times and didn't receive timely medical attention,” states Julie. 

Julie and her family now attend all L.A. County Civilian Oversight Commission meetings and protests in front of the LASD's office. Like Paul's family, there are many other families demanding justice for their loved ones who also lost their lives at the hands of LASD. Some of them are David Ordaz Jr. (1986-2021), Andres Guardado (2001-2020), Dijon Kizzee (1991-2020), Ryan Twyman (1995-2019), and Anthony Vargas (1997-2018).  

Speaking against LASD has put Julie's family in a vulnerable situation. Paul's family reports seeing LASD vehicles driving slowly in front of their house, following them around the community, and even damaging memorial sites for Paul. In other cases, sheriff deputies arrested and detained Paul's sister, Jaylene, without explanation and harassed Paul's little sister, Janae, as she was coming out of middle school.  

Julie and the Check the Sheriff coalition, which the ACLU of Southern California is a member of, are working to pass a charter amendment in L.A. County to finally create accountability over the Los Angeles sheriff. Villanueva is not the first sheriff to abuse their power; and will not be the last one — unless we can establish civilian oversight over the sheriff's paramilitary personnel. This amendment will allow the BOS to remove the sheriff for serious breaches of public trust, strengthen BOS authority to guide policymaking within LASD, and create an independent civilian oversight.   

Julie says, “Since I participated with organizations like Check the Sheriff, I've been witness to positive change. If you or your family have been impacted by LASD violence, my message to you is that you are not alone.”  

Sign our petition to demand sheriff accountability and/or share your story. 

Housing is a human right. We all deserve the opportunity to provide for our families, have a safe place to call home, and pursue our dreams. That is why the ACLU of Southern California is proud to endorse Yes on Measure ULA, the “United to House L.A.” initiative – which will provide crucially needed aid to the Angelenos who need it most.   

After proponents of House L.A. Measure gathered nearly 100,000 signatures, it was certified by the Los Angeles city clerk’s office and will appear on the City of Los Angeles ballot in November. Measure ULA will create the largest investment in affordable housing in the city’s history by immediately buying and building homes for people living on the street, sending emergency assistance to low-income seniors in danger of becoming unhoused, and providing legal aid to tenants facing unlawful eviction.   

This citizen-led initiative was written by housing experts — not politicians. It will only be paid for by millionaires, billionaires, and corporations when they sell their properties in Los Angeles for more than $5 million. This “mansion tax” only affects 3% of property sales yet would generate $875 million annually. This means that the wealthy would pay their fair share in creating affordable and permanent homes across Los Angeles.  

What else will Measure ULA do? 

Create Affordable Housing 

• The measure will create a permanent supply of affordable housing paid for entirely by the sale of mega mansions.  
• Over a decade, this would mean 26,000 homes, helping 69,000 people.   

Reduce Housing Insecurity 

• The measure will prevent housing insecurity by building ten times as much housing. 
• It will provide direct aid to low-income seniors, people with disabilities, and other people at risk of living on the streets. 

Protect Renters 

• The measure will protect renters from harassment, unlawful eviction, and illegal rent hikes by providing renters with tenant rights education, direct legal aid, rent relief, as well as monitoring and enforcement of these protections. 
• The measure will help 475,000 at-risk renters maintain stability and keep their home each year. 

Support Seniors 

• Seniors are the fastest growing unhoused population. Seventy-five percent of seniors struggle to pay rent and could be in danger of becoming unhoused.  
• The measure provides rent support to extremely low-income seniors in danger of losing their homes. 

Provide Jobs

• The measure has strong labor and local hire provisions between affordable housing groups and the building and construction trades.  
• It will create 44,000 good-paying jobs so working families can build a future here. 

Support Racial Justice 

• One-in-three unhoused people are Black. The measure will reduce houselessness and confront racial injustice in our discriminatory housing market. 
• New home ownership among Black residents is at a historic low. The measure creates single-family and cooperative home ownership opportunities to build and maintain wealth in underserved communities. 

Further Equality Under the Law 

• Everyone deserves to be free from discrimination. Through tenant’s rights education, direct tenant legal assistance and mechanisms to monitor illegal rent hikes and evictions, the measure will ensure that tenants facing discrimination or harassment have the resources they need.  
• The measure has a specific focus on direct aid for those who are elderly, disabled, or in underserved communities who rarely get the full protections of the law that they deserve. 

How You Can Help: 

• Vote “YES” on Measure ULA in the November election and encourage your friends and family to do the same. 
• Organizations can join more than 150 organizations endorsing Measure ULA.  
• Stay up to date with United to House L.A.