Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz of Huntington Beach is facing criticism after the city announced that he lodged a petition with the state’s Workforce Development Department for unemployment compensation despite still being employed by the city.
Ortiz, a former UFC fighter, is still on the Huntington Beach City Council, but according to records given to NBC4, he left the city on Feb. 9 due to a lack of employment or being laid off.
“This is not the case. He’s been earning the same amount of money and working the same number of hours for the past few years, “Mayor Kim Carr of Huntington Beach made the statement.
According to Carr, city council members are paid $1,500 a month, plus a stipend and an expense allowance. She is worried that Ortiz may have committed fraud.
“It’s my understanding that city council members are not eligible for unemployment, particularly when they are receiving their full salary,” Carr said.
This is the latest in a long line of accidents that have landed Ortiz in hot water. After he refused to wear a mask at city council meetings and a local burger joint earlier this year, the city council considered stripping him of his mayor pro tem title.
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