Tito Ortiz Is Under Fire For Filing For Unemployment

UFC Hall of Famer Tito Ortiz has come under scrutiny after filing for unemployment in the city of Huntington Beach, California. The problem with that is, he’s been getting paid. Ortiz is city council member and the mayor pro tem of Huntington Beach, positions he’s held since December, and positions he’s been getting paid for since then.

Public records viewed by the Orange County Register show that Ortiz filed for unemployment on Feb. 20, stating his last day of work was Feb. 9. Under “reason for separation,” Ortiz wrote “Still working part-time or on-call – related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Via OC Register:

“Two months into his first term as a council member, and with his city checks still coming, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz filed an unemployment claim with the California Employment Development Department.

Public records show that Ortiz, whose legal name is Jacob C. Ortiz, sought unemployment benefits on Feb. 22 of this year. Naming the city as his employer, he gave his first day of work as Dec. 7, 2020 – when he was sworn in after comfortably winning his seat in the November election. He stated that his last day of work was Feb. 9, 2021, although he still serves on the council.

On the portion of the unemployment application that asks for a “reason for separation,” Ortiz listed, “Still working part-time or on-call – related to the coronavirus (COVID-19).”

Ortiz did not return calls asking for comment.”

Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz filed for unemployment even as city checks kept coming https://t.co/6isIUy1U9D

— O.C. Register (@ocregister) May 1, 2021

[sportsbookaffiliates]

When contacted by NBC Los Angeles, Huntington Beach Mayor Kim Carr confirmed that Ortiz had not stopped being paid.

“He’s been receiving the same amount of wages and hours,” Carr said. “It’s my understanding that city council members are not eligible for unemployment, particularly when they are receiving their full salary,” explained Carr, who is concerned that Ortiz may have committed fraud with his unemployment claim.

Ortiz also owns a $4million dollar home.

Someone has some explaining to do.

Welcome to the game outside the game! Follow us on our Sideaction Twitter handle, Instagram, and Facebook for the latest on sports and pop culture news across the web!