Tito Ortiz resigns from Huntington Beach City Council after controversial time in office
Tito Ortiz’s time in public office in Southern California has come to an end.
Ortiz officially resigned from his post on the Huntington Beach City Council and as the mayor pro tem on Tuesday night, according to the OC Register’s Susan Golding.
The UFC Hall of Famer cited leaks at City Hall and character assassination by the media as the reasons for his resignation, though it’s not quite clear what he is referring to.
#titoortiz just resigned from the #huntingtonbeach city council claiming character assassination by media and leaks at city hall. #mma @ocregister
— Susan Goulding (@scgoulding) June 2, 2021
Ortiz’s time in public office full of controversy
Ortiz’s short stint in public office was full of controversy, almost from the very beginning.
Ortiz tried to attend a planning meeting at a Huntington Beach library days after he was elected in November 2020, but wasn’t let in because he refused to wear a mask. He then called into the meeting from his car, as his anti-mask stance was part of his campaign.
His anti-mask tirade continued for months both in meetings and around town, and even caused a weird feud with a burger joint.
Ortiz was voted as the mayor pro tem the day he was sworn into office, though other council members tried to vote him out with a vote of no confidence. That fizzled out.
Ortiz also filed for unemployment on Feb. 20, though he was still in office and being paid for that part-time position. Ortiz owns two businesses in town and a $4 million home, per the report. Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr believes that Ortiz may have committed fraud with this claim.
Ortiz held a 21-12-1 MMA record in his career, and last fought for the UFC in 2012 — the same year the now 46-year-old was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame.
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