Three newly elected Huntington Beach City Council members were sworn in Monday, Dec. 7 – and one of them, local celebrity Tito Ortiz, immediately became mayor pro tem.
Replacing Lyn Semeta, Kim Carr was named mayor in a unanimous vote. Jill Hardy, who termed out this year, transferred her pro tem title to Carr in October.
Generally, Huntington Beach rotates through mayors every year, with mayor pro tem as a stepping stone.
Semeta and Patrick Brenden both decided not to run for second terms, leaving three openings with no incumbents competing.
That dynamic led to Ortiz — a brand new council member, with no prior political experience — on deck as mayor pro tem.
In 1991, the city passed a resolution barring anyone who had been mayor over the previous four years from becoming mayor pro tem. On Tuesday, that stipulation blocked sitting council members Barbara Delgleize, Erik Peterson and Mike Posey from taking on that title.
The same ’91 resolution stated that if no incumbent council member is eligible, the new member who received the most votes would fill the bill. In a field of 15 candidates, Ortiz easily won his seat – with Dan Kalmick and Natalie Moser placing second and third.
“I can tell you that this has never happened in my 21 years here,” said City Clerk Robin Estanislau. “It’s an unusual situation, but there are a lot of moving pieces on a city council.”
Ortiz made his name as a mixed martial arts star who has appeared on reality television shows. As a candidate, the Huntington Beach native drew attention for embracing far-right conspiracy theories – including the belief that coronavirus is an exaggerated health risk.
Doubling down in his acceptance remarks Monday, Ortiz called COVID-19 a “plandemic” – referencing a debunked idea that government reaction to the outbreak is designed to control the population.
“It has been really hard to just live a normal life for my children and for myself,” said Ortiz, one of the few people in the chamber not wearing a face mask.
Claiming that his hometown has “deteriorated,” Ortiz said his mission is to “make Huntington Beach safe again.”
“June 6, I put on a bulletproof vest, willing to take a bullet for the city,” Ortiz said. “It was dangerous.”
On that day, about 300 people protesting against police brutality gathered near the pier. Ortiz joined a group of counter-protesters. However, the protest unfolded peacefully overall, police officials reported.
In 2020, Huntington Beach has been ground zero for ongoing demonstrations – lately, protests against stay-at-home orders.
Recalling his days of near-homelessness and drug use, Ortiz thanked supporters and donors. “I never imagined I’d be sitting up here,” he said.
In sharp contrast, Kalmick and Moser both addressed the spread of coronavirus as a crisis.
Harking back to World War II and its “Greatest Generation,” Kalmick said, “Now is the time to come together again and sacrifice for the community, and keep our first responders, essential workers and families safe.”
Moser said that as a councilwoman she will champion “inclusivity, an evidence-based approach and empathy.”
“We will work together to bridge the divides of our community,” Moser said.
Monday was also a night for good-byes. Delgleize called Semeta “the calm in the storm.” Hardy admired Brenden for his “ethical” stands on controversial matters.
And everyone praised Hardy for her level head and uncommonly long tenure. The Marina High math teacher was first elected to the city council in 2002 at age 31.
Three years later, Hardy became the youngest mayor in Orange County history at that time. After terming out out in 2010, she successfully ran again in 2012.
“All three of the new council members are younger than me, so it’s probably time to go,” Hardy joked. “I’m getting too old.”
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