Update: This article was updated to include information about the dismissal of the domestic violence charge.
The Associated Students Student Advocate General is being charged with two criminal offenses, according to publicly available court records as well as police arrest records obtained by the Nexus.
Grecia Martinez, a 21-year-old and third-year history of public policy major, was arrested once in February and once in March on charges of domestic violence and driving under influence respectively, according to arrest records.
The domestic violence charge was later dismissed in June.
The Nexus conducted a Santa Barbara Superior Court public case records search of all of the recently elected Associated Students (A.S.) executives. During the investigation, Martinez’s charges were listed among the search results. The Nexus then obtained police arrest records for the charges in question.
UC Santa Barbara Police Department (UCPD) officers first arrested Martinez on the 6500 block of Del Playa Drive in Isla Vista at approximately 11:40 a.m. on Feb. 14, according to arrest records. Martinez was charged with inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant.
She was booked in the Santa Barbara Jail on $25,000 bail and was released around 1 a.m. on Feb. 15, according to arrest records.
Martinez pleaded not guilty. A settlement conference will be held in September, according to Santa Barbara trial court records. Martinez is being tried as a defendant against the People of the State of California.
A criminal protective order, which requires a “restrained person” not to “hurt, threaten, or communicate with the other person,” was filed on March 14, according to court records.
In a separate incident, California Highway Patrol (CHP) stopped Martinez on the 6500 block of Del Playa Drive in I.V. on March 1 at approximately 1:50 a.m. on charges of driving under the influence with a blood alcohol percent of over 0.08 percent, according to arrest records.
Martinez is also being charged with possession of a controlled substance, according to court records. The charge is not present in the arrest records, however.
She was cited with a $5,000 bail and was released from the Santa Barbara Jail around 11:20 p.m. later that day, according to arrest records.
An arraignment will be held for the DUI charges on June 26, according to court records.
Martinez was elected in late April and officially sworn in as Student Advocate General (S.A.G.) last Thursday. The S.A.G. works within the Office of Student Advocate, which works to help students who “face charges from the University in housing, academic, social conduct, and public interest matters,” according to the OSA website.
Martinez also served as a letters and science senator on the A.S. Senate during the 2017-2018 school year. She declined to comment for this story.
Shomik Mukherjee contributed reporting.
A version of the article appeared on p.5 of the May 31 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
The fact you would post this online makes me absolutely sick. You think an article for a stupid college newspaper is more important than someones future and career? Yeah fuck you daily nexus
C’mon, they’re posting the news, investigative journalism??. If you don’t want your “future” to be ruined you don’t get yourself convicted of domestic violence and arrested for DUI / controlled substance.
She has been convicted of nothing. Are you even literate?
She’s a student elected representative that helps students who face charges in the university system and she is facing charges herself. This is definitely news. It will be a distraction to her job and brings into question her judgment. If she didn’t want these coming out, she shouldn’t have run for office.
The Nexus didn’t get arrested twice and then run for office. Place the blame where it’s due.
Sounds like the ol Brock turner defense
Are YOU even fucking literate? She has a court date in September that’s why she hasn’t been convicted of anything fucking dumbass. As for her future her future employers can access this information and when asked if convicted of a felony on any application she will have to answer honestly or else she’s even more fucked. So stfu before you come posting dumbass shit like this blaming a newspaper.
You know employers do background checks right?? These charges are gonna show up every time she applies for a job anyways. Or do you think all her employers would only find out by reading the world renowned UCSB daily nexus?? Obviously the only people that are complaining that this is wrong are her friends
Yes all her employers should know. She’s can’t hide anything now it’s too late
it is not the job of a college newspaper to treat students like they are actual politicians. It is wrong for you to expose a student’s life like this to so many people. The circumstances are probably far more complicated than this article. These charges could have been dropped, but you couldn’t drop a “good” story?
i think this is actually important because this person has the jurisdiction over thousands of students fees and that is no small task for someone who seems unstable
You really think it’s fair for you to call someone unstable just because of what you’re reading on this stupid article? Stop making unfair judgments when you only know one side of the story.
Well, she very recently has shown poor judgement in her own life, and then continued to make poor decisions even after her first incident/run in with law enforcement. Do those sound like characteristics of someone who’s got a handle on their shit right now?
Seems like we could have known two sides of the story had she not declined to comment ¯_(ツ)_/¯
Ummm. It is literally the job of a journalist (student or otherwise) to report the criminal background of elected officials, even students.
A.S. is a real government, unfortunately, and A.S. officials have real power within the context of the university. Maybe circumstances are more complicated, she was given the opportunity to comment but chose not to.
1. The title of your article is misleading. The “SAG” was not charged with this because, as you describe in your article, she was not SAG at the time of her arrest. The title of your article is misleading and inaccurate. 2. I really think the Nexus needs to take a step back and think of what you have just done. These are all “charges” and everyone is innocent until proven guilty, and you weren’t even there to know what happened in these situations. Its possible that these charges are gonna get dropped against her, but this article is going… Read more »
“You have effectively destroyed her chances to continue her education and have a career. ” they really didn’t though. She is clearly still pursuing her education, or she would still be actively involved in campus. Additionally, these charges could also be on her record forever anyways. And depending on the line of work, not disclosing them could cause major issues. So a college paper article, while no doubt upsetting and embarrassing, pales in comparison to the real life implications her actions have with or without this article. And by the way, this IS kind of relevant. Can a student who… Read more »
This is completely wrong to do. Shame on you Nexus, this doesn’t help anyone and only hurts Grecia.
Grecia shouldn’t have run for public office if she didn’t want her criminal record divulged publicly.
It helps the students to learn the truth.
I mean maybe she wanted to be SAG because she cares about helping students through the legal system? I mean yeah she’s a fucking snake but props for toughing this shit out and winning
Why do people keep on trying to drag women on color who fairly won their elections?
Get real they searched all the elected students records… hers was the only one with dirt. A juicy story is a juicy story doesnt matter male female black or white
Lol they definitely didn’t search all of the elected students records, I know of multiple senators who have been convicted of things but no one got an article written about them.
Then write a story about those elected officials you dunce
As a woman of color, shut up. Doesn’t matter if they won fairly if they’re still problematic trash
thumbs up to “As a woman of color, shut up. Doesn’t matter if they won fairly if they’re still problematic trash”
Grecia looks good in this picture, A1 choice
Retweet
I’m pretty sure the nexus forgot the word ‘allegedly’ in several places. I’d be careful if I were them – wouldn’t want to get sued or some shit.
Nexus doesn’t say she’s guilty of anything. They said she was charged. There’s nothing false about that. There’s zero risk of a lawsuit. Next!
The comments here are shameless. This is perfectly standard news fare. Martinez is an elected public figure and is facing the same scrutiny any other elected public figure would face. Currently pending charges are entirely relevant-if convicted she could be unable to do her job as SAG. Domestic violence is a Title IX issue and could trigger an investigation by the university-as is appropriate when someone is um, charged with domestic violence-also jeopardizing her ability to do her job as SAG. If you want to defend her why don’t you do so on the merits instead of blaming he Nexus… Read more »
You’re right. The SAG’s job is also to assist students in their own Title IX cases, DUIs, and more. How can an elected official who commits these Title IX violations be expected to uphold it?
Perfectly newsworthy story, but I call BS on the implication the Nexus just decided to randomly search through Superior Court records. Granted you didn’t say that and you don’t want to burn your source, but someone has an axe to grind here.
AS leaders drinking and driving. How the hell are these kids able to handle our student fees??
maybe they should get a party bus with student fees instead
tried that, didnt work
the contributor to this post was also charged on 4/12/16 for possesion of an alcoholic beverage as a minor. maybe their credibility is also in doubt. public records are public records but if it doesnt impede the ability to do their job well then this was created simply to attack Grecia. do better nexus.
So what? You’re missing the point of why this is newsworthy. These are charges she is dealing with CURRENTLY while in an elected office. They are a distraction to her job and they are pretty serious charges to boot. No one would care if she got caught wth a Natty Light when she was 18. People will care because she’ll be presumably going to court and maybe even facing jail time or community service while she has an elected job to do. Having said that, it doesn’t mean she is a bad person without redemption. If I were her, I… Read more »
Underage drinking doesn’t put other’s lives at risk. If that person had been charged with a DUI, then it would be very hypocritical, but also if they aren’t running for a publicly appointed position kind of irrelevant to the point of the article.
Not an elected official.
Oh god I hope she’s not an elected official
The SAG’s job is to deal with Title IX violations and DUIs. She can’t be expected to deal with TItle IX cases while having committed Domestic Violence
What the heck, someone drank alcohol underage at UCSB? What has the world come to…
do you think you’re better than the contributor for getting caught as a minor? As if you did not drink until you are 21
This newspaper is literal bullshit. How dare you jeopardized someone’s future with this piece of trash. Shame on the Nexus and shame on Mara for allowing this toxic content to be published.
This newspaper is in fact not literal bullshit. That comes from a bull. This is literally an online version of an article written and published by a student run organization at UCSB. Also, her name is spelled Maura
If her future is jeopardized, it’s because of the actual facts of the situation, not because someone reported the facts. Like if a tree falls in the forest but no one is around to report on it, the tree still fell so later when someone is walking through the forest they’re gonna see a fallen tree. So if someone has an arrest record and no one reports on it, it still happened, and it’s still gonna turn up in background checks down the road.
Where are all the frat guys’ arrest records? The sorority girls? Since we’re going to be slandering random students part of this community, include everyone.
They’re not elected officials. However, if they were serious crimes, you bet your ass they’d be in the paper.
Random frat guys and sorority girls didn’t win elections that will give them power over thousands of students lives
what part is slander? None
This is such biased trash and honestly pitiful. I’ve never heard of background checks being conducted on elected officials for AS Senate. Grecia is a student. This is a student “government” in college. Unless background checks have been run on previous candidates this needs to stop. Funny that this is happening now that IVP has gained a considerable number of seats.
The SAG is not affiliated with IVP and the position mandates that the candidates running for SAG must be non-partisan.
because the last SAG was totally nonpartisan
Why would there NOT be background checks on elected officials? They are paid by the students, control student fee money, and set policies that impact the entire student body. A.S. is a real government, however petty their domain.
The only thing funny about this is that 1) you just assumed/admitted? that Grecia is affiliated with IVP instead of being nonpartisan as she’s supposed to be and 2) you’re putting the blame on everyone BUT the problematic person who is charged with two serious crimes that both endanger the student body that she is supposed to be protecting in her position
This article is extremely misleading and lacks a full explanation of what the truth really is. Both of these charges are in the process of being dropped by the court, which in that case means she was FALSELY ACCUSED of these crimes, and was found NOT guilty of committing either of them. She is not required to disclose these to a future employers when they are dropped, but now anyone in the world can easily find out this information about her and obtain a negative image of her based on false accusations. She is a student – not a public… Read more »
Um, yes the Nexus has reported on elected representatives getting arrested or accused of crimes many times! Do a google search. There’s at least four A.S. members that come to my mind in the last decade.
Well then they definitely haven’t reported on all of them. I know of multiple AS senators who were actually charged guilty with crimes who the nexus never wrote about. If they’re gonna put elected offficials on blast then they better do every one of them
Let the Nexus know who they are then and what the crimes were. If they are serious or on-going then they are newsworthy.
You’re working under the impression that there isn’t a rotating staff of students contributing to this paper. If a contributor is there 1 or 2 years and chooses to report on this stuff, and for the next year nobody does because they don’t want to- that’s a choice they can make. If they had a running column on corrupt politics in AS- then ya! that should show up! Every time and for everyone! but don’t go acting like a decade worth of revolving students owes you consistency in their spotlight reporting choices.
You cannot be charged guilty. You can plead guilty or be found guilty but again showing a lack of understanding basic concepts
I was a witness when she received her DUI. Trust me she’s guilty. If I was that fucked up I wouldn’t even get near a car.
Also never fucking be empathetic for someone who drove under the influence and put OTHER STUDENTS IN DANGER. She could have killed someone that day. I’ve heard countless stories like this and don’t have a single drop of empathy.
Nothing about this is misleading. All of this information is public record. DUI’s aren’t something you can just be falsely accused of and there is no way you can realistically know the charges will be dropped if she hasn’t even had her court date yet.
The second you run for student government you are considered a public official. AS Execs have the most public student positions on campus and the primary representatives. If she wanted to be treated like just another student she shouldn’t have run.
may I add that Student Advocate General gets an honoraria to do their job, and a huge one at that. This isn’t high school. She isn’t volunteering all of her free time for this position, she is getting PAID. If she is unfit and not in good standing with the University or the law for that matter of fact, then she doesn’t deserve this position as well as all the benefits that come with it.
Just because charges are dropped does not mean that the person was falsely accused nor does it mean that they were found not guilty of anything. You obviously do not understand our justice system.
Grecia’s alleged accusations of these crimes (which the Nexus obviously failed to refer to them as) are not representative of her ability to do her job. A big part of the task of SAG is to advocate on behalf of students when they are facing legal and criminal justice issues, so who better to understand students, their situations, and advocate on their behalf than someone who’s been in their shoes and has already gone through the same process themselves?
You mean still going through…
So her legal troubles make her “more” qualified to do her job? Sorry, that’s not how it works. If she is now better prepared to do her job as SAG, can you let me know where I can pet a unicorn?
Listen to Matt, Matt Johnson is always right, That would be some bassaqward logic, and even he would have to suspend disbelief to rationalize this woman has now acquired extensive work experience, which makes her that much more qualified to heard unicorns. Lady’s got not defense, domestic violence, DUI, “arrested” twice ?
When the going gets tough, you don’t want a criminal lawyer. You want a CRIMINAL lawyer
Damn I was just about to comment the exact same line
No half measures.
the accusations are not alleged they are real accusations. They know she was accused.
Absolutely shocking, and at such a young age. Violent drunks are the worst.
She’s a wreck. Get her outta office fuck!
so the above comments are okay with the SAG, who deals with Title IX and domestic violence issues and such, being one of those offenders? As someone that has been a victim of domestic violence, I would NEVER go seek help from someone that has been charged with these charges. She will not be able to do her job as she should– there will always be the thought of “that was me” in her mind and WILL skew her judgment. We NEED another election for this position immediately. She will no advocate for the victims of domestic violence. This is… Read more »
This is truly sad to read, but I respect the Nexus for writing this piece. Students deserve to know who their elected representatives are and what they’re up to- We pay them thousands of dollars a year. Enough with these comments on here, leave your IV Party politics our of this
The fact that people are dismissing domestic violence here is DISGUSTING. Can you imagine these peoples narratives if any white/male/frat/CU had the same charges??? There would be a damn sit in at Cheadle hall #DoubleStandard
this is so real though
Imagine: A white man is elected SAG with the duties of assisting title IX victims in cases of domestic abuse, and news breaks that he was actually arrested and facing charges of domestic violence.
Now look at the reactions from students given that the SAG is not a white man. If this doesn’t prove feminism’s double standards and obsession with identity, idk what does.
Public records only show one of the the alleged charges. NOT a domestic dispute charge. Is this made up? smear campaigns based offf lies is not investigatove journalism
check again sweetie both charges are there
people dont understand how expungement works do you: files can be sealed post conviction. nexus, in its attempt to attack martinez, made public record alleged charges that have not yet been decided in court. those of you who fail to see how this affects her are stupid. the law works so that regardless of the alleged charge, it is the CONVICTION that hilds truth. daily nexus, spence, and mukherjee should be ashamed.
Court records ARE public records. They’re not confidential except in rare circumstances. Even in the case of expungement, the offense and deposition still has to be disclosed under specific conditions. And, if she’s convicted of a felony (or pleads out), she can’t ever possess a weapon or be licensed to practice several professions. The Nexus did its job. It sounds like next school year is going to be drama filled in AS.
Lots of politicians have been charged with crimes and stood trial and those trials are appropriately covered by the media. When the trial ends, with conviction or acquittal, the media covers that too. Having arrest records and trials as public record is super important to our democracy bc it keeps the government from doing all the shady bullshit it would otherwise try. For examples of government doing shady bullshit, search “A.S.” in Nexus archives.
Life has consequences. Too bad the SAG found out by committing two alleged offenses in two weeks. No matter how you look at it, very poor judgement and hopefully a lesson for all members of the UCSB community….
No one in this comment section is taking domestic violence seriously enough. Imagine how you would react if a male AS official was charged with domestic violence. Would you take his side and worry that an article will ruin his future? I hope not. You should believe the victim, and you should hope abusers are punished. If a male AS official was charged with domestic violence, would you worry he’d be distracted doing his job while dealing with these charges? I mean maybe that’s a concern, but it’s hardly the primary problem! Domestic violence is disqualifying for its own sake.… Read more »
The social justice warriors are having a cow about this story. They’re crying about the “climate on campus” and how unethical the Nexus is in reporting this. Hate to say this but AS is a joke and always has been one. I’ve been around student government off and on for years and nothing ever changes. Is it really beneficial? Is it actually needed?
I was in AS and it can be very beneficial with the right people who actually care and when done the right way. Our campus administration does very little to advocate for student services like CAPS without students leading that movement. However, I agree with you that party politics and overall pettiness tends to overcloud that and many people get more caught up in that than making change. Since you were in AS you should know that it consists of many committees like Program Board and Bike Comm. Work happens outside of the executive positions as well.
You are 100% correct. AS is a joke, a nasty joke.
Transparency in politics! Don’t run for a public office if you cannot take the heat. These are public records being discussed. Trustworthy and credibility of any candidate should be carefully considered. Domestic Violence and DUI, not good…
vote “no” on the nexus affirmation next yr ;) we stan a advocating queen
Why? For being a newspaper and doing their job? Get out of here. She’s an elected representative with two serious charges that have pending court dates. That she failed to disclose this while running for office is shady as hell and irresponsible and it’s newsworthy regardless of the outcome of these charges. She’s going to be potentially distracted by these pending cases and given her title it also harms her credibility. Grecia, frankly, should resign and her friends need to stop with this BS spin cycle they’re trying.
wow campus united is so salty about our people winning that they have to reach this low. if you only knew the truth. fuck yall
Tune in for the op-ed about how CU messily planned to drag one of their best friends
This comment really explains so much. Lol. “Our people winning”? Are you insinuating that Grecia is actually apart of Isla Vista Party and not non partisan? Are you saying people in CU are not friends with Grecia? Are you insinuating that CU was able to frame Grecia for not one but two separate charges on different days all for a master plan? Give me a fucking break. Let people take responsibility for their actions without blaming everyone else for their fuck ups. No one cares about your salty party politics.