Huntington Beach City Council proposes vote of ‘no confidence’ to strip Tito Ortiz of Pro Tem Mayor status

It’s been an eventful couple months for Tito Ortiz in his role on the Huntington Beach City Council. The former UFC-Champion and unabashed Donald Trump supporter has clashed repeatedly with council members over his refusal to wear a mask during civic functions. And was even caught on tape in a parking lot dust-up with a local constituent over federal policing policy.

Now, just a week shy of three months after winning a seat on the council (and just about a month and a half since taking office), several members are moving to push a vote of “no confidence” in the old school MMA icon. It does not appear that that vote would remove him from the council altogether, but it would strip him of the Mayor Pro Tem role that he was unanimously selected for, due to a 1991 resolution that bans former Huntington Beach mayors from serving in the Pro Tem Mayor position for four years after their time in office (Ortiz was also selected based on the fact that he got more votes than the two other new incoming council members).

News of Ortiz’s potential removal from the office hit Twitter on Wednesday, January 27th.

“Unfortunately, Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at a level expected for this position and has demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity,” the statement reads. “His unprofessional demeanor and poor judgement have raised concerns among residents, local business owners, and his fellow council members. The Huntington Beach community expects local elected officials to take their governing responsibilities seriously and we whole heartedly agree.”

Ortiz made headlines earlier this month when he was barred from attending a City Council event in person after the Huntington Beach Library, where the meeting was being held, refused to let him in without a mask. Ortiz posted a reaction to the situation to social media.

“Welp, we have our first workshop here for Huntington Beach City Council and we’re doing it at Huntington Beach Library,” Ortiz said. “I go in for the meeting and [Mayor] Kim Carr says you can’t come in without a mask. Now I’ve gotta do it from Zoom. Great way to start the New Year off. Embarrassing.”

It looks like we’ll know as of Monday, February 1st, whether or not the council will vote to clip the wings on Ortiz’s fledgling political career, or let his first tastes of political responsibility continue on, unabated.