We first profiled Leslie Jackson and her battle against the California Employment Development Department on April 25th. She had applied for benefits more than a year ago in March, 2020 but received nothing from the state. Jackson said the EDD made her go before a judge to prove her identity.
Tito Ortiz filed for unemployment despite Mayor Pro Tem job, owning two businesses
Share this story
Photo by Jean Baptiste Lacroix/WireImage
Orange County Register public records show that UFC Hall of Famer and current Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem filed for unemployment with the California Employment Development Department on February 22. This is despite Ortiz being elected to Huntington Beach city council last November and being sworn in on December 7, 2020.
On his unemployment application, under a section regarding reasons for leaving previous job, Ortiz wrote “Still working part-time or on-call – related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).”
Huntington Beach city council members work part-time for the city and receive stipends and expense allowances. These payments have not been interrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pay checks go out to city council members every two weeks. They include the stipend of $81 and expense allowance of $698 for a total of $779.