Huntington Beach Appoints Replacement Councilmember
City council in Huntington Beach, Calif., has appointed a civil rights attorney to replace former councilmember Tito Ortiz.
Rhoda Bolton, who serves on the Huntington Beach Human Relations Task Force, was selected for the role during a July 26 meeting. She was among 189 people who applied for the position and among more than 100 people interviewed by city council.
Council, which was deadlocked on agreeing on a candidate during a July 19 special meeting, met again July 26 in hopes of filling the position before July 31. If they failed to do so, it would have triggered a special election costing about $1 million, according to city manager Oliver Chi.
Huntington Beach Fails to Choose Replacement for Tito Ortiz
Ortiz resigned from council June 1, saying attacks against him put his family at risk.
“As of recent, the attacks against me have moved into involving my family,” Ortiz said when announcing his resignation. “When my children’s safety becomes a matter, I’m a father and I’m going to protect my children.”
After holding various special meetings on how to proceed with Ortiz’ replacement, council initially elected to hold an application process where any Huntington Beach resident could apply. The best candidate would be chosen by council.
When the application process closed June 18, the city sorted through 190 applications for the position, and interviewed 105 candidates.
Huntington Beach Votes in New Mayor Pro Tem
Huntington Beach city council unanimously voted June 2 to appoint Councilmember Barbara Delgleize as mayor pro tem following the resignation of Tito Ortiz.
The vote occurred during a special meeting created in order to discuss filling the role vacated by Ortiz the day prior.
After a number of public comments, Councilmember Erik Peterson nominated Delgleize to the position, citing her past experience on council and as mayor, calling her a “good buffer” between current Mayor Kim Carr and two recently-elected councilmembers.
After the vote confirmed her appointment, Delgleize took the oath of office and was congratulated by the council.