Tito Ortiz to keep position as Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem

Former UFC champion Tito Ortiz will keep his position as Mayor Pro Tem of Huntington Beach, California.

Ortiz was elected onto Huntington Beach City Council last year, and was subsequently selected to serve as the city’s Mayor Pro Tem, a role that puts him in position to serve as the city’s next mayor. Regrettably, his time in office has been marred by several high-profile blunders, primarily related to his refusal to wear a mask and his spreading of conspiracy theories.

His mistakes as Mayor Pro Tem resulted in several of his fellow council members attempting to have him removed from his position via a vote of no confidence.

“On December 7th, Council Member Tito Ortiz was selected unanimously by his fellow council members to serve in a leadership role as Mayor Pro Tem for the City of Huntington Beach,” a letter addressed to the Mayor and City Council read. “Unfortunately, Mr. Ortiz has failed to perform at the level expected for this position and has demonstrated little commitment to serving in the role with honor and dignity. 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.”

It’s later requested that City Council considers the following:

• Issue a City Council vote of no confidence in Mr. Ortiz as Mayor Pro Tem.
• Remove Mr. Ortiz from his current leadership role as Mayor Pro Tem, and identify another member of the City Council to serve in that position.

In the end, however, City Council moved to let Ortiz keep his position.

“I want to thank each and every one of you,” Ortiz said at the end of the meeting, according to MMA Junkie. “I apologize if I let anybody down. I think I just let myself down because I went on defensive mode from the very beginning, and I shouldn’t have done that. I will work harder, and I will try not to miss meetings as hard as I possibly can. I do have other jobs to pay my bills, but at the same time, I will do the best job that I know to do.”

Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr also spoke on the matter, vowing to work with Ortiz so long as he takes the position seriously and refrains from dishonesty.

“I’m asking you to understand… and truly be that leader,” Carr said at Monday’s meeting. “I always have an open door. You know that. I don’t have an axe to grind with you. Never have. I’ve never attacked you. None of us have. We’re not interested in that. We truly want to do just want to do what’s good work with the city.

“Here’s your opportunity. Show us what you can do. Show us that you’re in it to win it and that you want to work with us, you want to be a partner, and that I know I can count on you because there is going to be that day I need you, and I want you to be there. So you told me, ‘I’m in it.’ I will trust you, and I have your back, but I cannot have you lying. That is the biggest thing. You cannot lie to our community. You cannot tell half truths. You have to be completely honest and transparent.”

As a pro fighter, Tito Ortiz carved out a 21-12 pro record in the UFC, Bellator, Combate Americas, and other organizations. He won his last three fights, defeating Chael Sonnen, Chuck Liddell, and Alberto Del Rio, all by way of stoppage. Despite his duties as Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem, he recently revealed that he intends to fight again.