With Former Third Ward City Councilman John Valdivia’s victory in the November 2018 San Bernardino Mayoral Election and his resignation from his council position so that he could be sworn in as mayor on December 19, a vacancy on the city council was create. To fill the post, and bring the six-sevenths strength council up to full status, the council consequently opted to fill the post through a special vote-by-mail election which concludes May 7. Three registered voters in the ward signed on to compete for the council position: Anthony Aguirre, Juan Figueroa and Treasure Ortiz. Ultimately, Aguirre decided against running, but not before the ballots for the election had been printed. Consequently, the names of all three are on the ballots that have been mailed to registered voters.
Treasure Ortiz this week spoke with the Sentinel about her candidacy.
“We need strong effective leadership,” Ortiz said. “We need someone on the dais who understands how government operates, how budgeting works, what the implications of decisions they are making are on the city and on the citizens they are making those decisions on behalf of.”
The major issues facing the city at present, Ortiz said, are “fiscal responsibility and the stability of the city council, mayor and the city manager in terms of maintaining infrastructure, our roads and water system, homelessness and providing services identifying areas so sheltering can take place, policing as far as community policing and the topheavyness in department brass as opposed to patrol officers, along with the animal shelter and the outsourcing of animal control services.”
With regard to the issues roiling in the Third Ward specifically, Ortiz said, “I have spent a lot of time speaking to the residents of Ward Three. One of the issues people in my ward have that those in the other wards do not is they have a real fear of the police. This is a highly Hispanic community and there are some people who want a large police presence and others who are very concerned about ICE [Immigration and Customes Enforcement] and the suspension of DACA [the Deferred Action on Childhood Arrivals program, which allows the children of immigrants to the Unitied States to avoid deportation], and they don’t want to get involved beyond making anonymous phone calls. We have a heavy and large language barrier. We have people who do not primarily speak English. We need to have translators so they can feel more comfortable in their own city.”
Ortiz said she would make a better council member than Figueroa or Aguirre because “I have actual knowledge and experience in municipal government, and an understanding of how government conducts itself and is run is so vital and necessary. You should never walk into a management position without understanding the principals of management and what the issues are. Someone who does that will always fail. I am familiar with the issues in the city, I have experience in government and I have an understanding of the work that needs to be done, the dynamics between the council the mayor and the city manager and how they are supposed to operate. That is invaluable.”
Ortiz said, “My campaign is what I call a promotion from within. It is about the community and the citizens of the city coming up and making decision on their own so everybody feels involved and that they have a voice. Residents have come to me with their thoughts and concerns. They have all been heard and if I am elected they are going to be addressed. I want the residents to know that when I am elected we will be seeking to put things and issues together as a city as a whole, ward to ward. I will be mindful of Ward 3, but so much of what needs to be done is for the elected leadership to lead the city as a whole, while they are dealing with the things internally in their individual wards.”
A graduate of Big Bear High School and Cal State San Bernardino from which she has a bachelor’s degree in public administration and a masters’ degree in general public administration with a focus on budgeting and overall management, Ortiz is now working toward a doctorate in public administration relating to public policy and media communications.
A former employee with the City of San Bernardino, she is currently working as a substitute public school teacher and owns her own social media firm.
-Mark Gutglueck