our People
Our union represents the over 600 attorneys at the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office. Our members proudly serve as essential workers in the 35 criminal courthouses throughout Los Angeles County.
Our Board is composed of public defenders from every designated grade of experience within our office, practice in courthouses throughout the county, and represent clients in our office’s three major practice areas – adult felonies, adult misdemeanors, and juvenile.
President
Ruby Mejia
Treasurer
Lex Taylor
First Vice President
Jessica Arteaga
Secretary
Hugo Stern
Second Vice President
Ambrose Sheela
Deputy 1 Director
Ester Mendez
At-Large Member
Mary Ray
Deputy 2 Director
Marisol Alvarez
At-Large Member
William Oh
Deputy 3 Director
Travis Glick
Deputy 4 Director
Lloyd Handler
Leadership
Ruby Mejia
PRESIDENT
Ruby Mejia has been a Deputy Public Defender since 2008 and is currently assigned to Central Felony Trials. She earned her B.A. in American Literature from UCLA and her J.D. from the USC Gould School of Law. A founding member of Local 148, Ruby Mejia was instrumental in its initial organization and has since contributed extensively to the Board and negotiations team. As a dedicated advocate and union member, she remains steadfast in her commitment to providing zealous representation for her clients and robust advocacy for her colleagues.
Jessica Arteaga
VICE PRESIDENT I
Jessica Arteaga has been a Deputy Public Defender since 2016. Before joining the Public Defender’s Office, she worked as an associate attorney at a private criminal defense firm. Jessica received her undergraduate degrees from California State University Long Beach and attended Southwestern Law School for her J.D. She joined Local 148’s negotiation committee in 2022 and looks forward to serving as a board member.
Ambrose Sheela
VICE PRESIDENT II
Ambrose B. Sheela (they/them) is a DPD I and joined LA County Public Defender’s Office in 2024. Prior to starting as a PD, Ambrose worked as a community organizer and campaign director for the Los Angeles grassroots abolitionist organization, Dignity and Power Now, which leads the fight to close Men’s Central Jail. Ambrose is a graduate of Duke University and Fordham University School of Law. Ambrose believes in the revolutionary power of radical lawyering and community organizing and is honored to serve on the Board of Local 148!
OFFICERS
Hugo Stern
SECRETARY
Hugo Stern is a DPD I who joined the office in 2024. He was born and raised in Tokyo before settling in Los Angeles, where he got his law degree from Southwestern Law School. He joined the union to help mobilize our members to fight for higher pay. As Secretary, he vows to act as a communicator between the board and the members at large and make sure we’re all up to date on essential matters.
Lex Taylor
TREASURER
Lex Taylor is a DPD-1 who joined the LA County Public Defender’s office in 2024. Lex received a Political Science and Economics degree from UCSB, his JD from UCLA, and he’s previously been a delegate for the Bernie 2020 campaign. As Treasurer, Lex plans to make sure that the Union’s operations are efficient and transparent. Membership deserves to know where their money goes, and that money should be used to empower the membership!
DIRECTORS
Ester Mendez
DEPUTY I DIRECTOR
Ester Mendez is an Indigenous attorney, who is also known as Abogada Zapoteca, with deep roots in Oaxaca, Mexico. In her past, she was represented by the Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office and experienced incarceration while undergoing housing insecurities. She understands firsthand how vital public defense is to those who cannot afford a lawyer. Becoming the first in her family to go to college, she overcame many obstacles that come with having a criminal record. Eventually, she graduated from Southwestern Law School, and joined the Public Defender’s Office. She is active in her union because she remembers what it felt like to stand alone in court with only a public defender beside her. She cares deeply and knows that by being a fierce advocate for her colleagues in the union, she helps ensure indigent clients receive the strongest representation possible.
Marisol Alvarez
DEPUTY II DIRECTOR
Marisol Alvarez became a public defender in December of 2024 and is currently practicing misdemeanors at the LAX Courthouse. She earned her B.A in Psychology and B.A in Criminal Justice from Cal State University, Fullerton and a J.D from UCLA School of Law. She looks forward to fighting for her colleagues as a Local 148 Board Member.
Travis Glick
DEPUTY III DIRECTOR
Travis Glick has been a Deputy Public Defender since 2017. Travis received his undergraduate degrees from UC Davis and attended USC Law School for his J.D. He previously served on Local 148’s Political Legislative Action Committee (PLAC) and looks forward to serving as a board member.
Lloyd Handler
DEPUTY IV DIRECTOR
I am a strong believer in our union, having been involved in both our initial efforts to unionize, then in our efforts to decertify AFSCME and form our own strong independent union. Though money and benefits are obviously important, I feel that Local 148 adds the most value by ensuring fairness and improving working conditions in the Office. I have been a Grade 4 trial lawyer since 2008, and have a strong interest in attempting to bring how the Office handles special circumstance cases closer in line to the ABA guidelines and adjusting the workload of lawyers with specials accordingly. I also believe that this work should be spread fairly among those lawyers qualified to do it. I also believe that the Union has more heft with the Office and the BOS to the extent that we participate in the political process, and thus am an advocate for our members applying the skillset that makes them great lawyers to involvement in political campaigns in the manner of traditional unions.
Members At large
Mary Ray
MEMBER AT LARGE
Mary Ray started with the Los Angeles Public Defender’s Office in 2017. She received her B.A. in English and Religious Studies from San Diego State University. She then earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School. She also teaches Legal Research part time at USC Gould School of Law. Prior to joining the office she clerked at the LA Law Library and worked at the Last Bookstore. She is currently assigned to Central Felonies at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center.
William Oh
MEMBER AT LARGE
William is deeply committed to a larger vision of abolition and full citizenship for all. As a public defender, he hopes to help create infrastructures of care in lieu of prisons and policing. He is proud to be part of this Union and is committed to building collective power and solidarity.