Los Angeles School Board candidate Graciela Ortiz has been removed from her position as L.A. Unified Counseling administrator pending a confidential investigation, district officials confirmed., He led the school staff union in withdrawing its support for her in the March 5 election.
The investigation was then launched a civil lawsuit was filed Mr. Ortiz and his political allies claim he is responsible for the actions of a campaign worker who has pleaded no contest to sexual misconduct with an underage volunteer. Both the perpetrator and victim were involved in Ortiz and Efren Martinez's 2021 campaign, according to the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on January 9.
Martinez is running for the 57th State Congressional District, which includes downtown Los Angeles, south Los Angeles, and parts of southeastern Los Angeles County.Ortiz is running for Huntington Park City Council. District 5which runs north-south along the eastern band of the Los Angeles Unified School District, incorporating cities such as Eagle Rock, Maywood, and Bell.
Campaign worker Billy Valdivia also pleaded no contest to weapons charges in the criminal case, according to court records. He is also a defendant in a civil suit.
The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for a female sexual abuse victim identified as “BA.”
Robert P. Sievers, an attorney for Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Martinez, said in a letter to the plaintiffs' lawyers that the allegations were “malicious and defamatory” and a carefully timed political “smear.” '' and demanded that the lawsuit be dismissed.
Neither Ortiz nor Martinez responded to emailed questions from the Times. They also did not agree to be interviewed. Neither Mr. Sievers nor the attorney at Rife Law Firm, which also represents Mr. Ortiz and Mr. Martinez, responded to emailed questions..
Political consultant Mike Trujillo issued a comprehensive statement via text and email in response to detailed questions.
“Like the Taylor Swift song 'Shake It Off,' courts will dismiss this politically motivated lawsuit.” “I support Councilor Ortiz because I know she will make our schools safer,” Trujillo said, adding that he has worked for candidates in three other board races.
“This is our response/comment to all the questions you asked,” he added in the text.
Ortiz, 43, ran for school board in 2019 but lost to retiring Jackie Goldberg. Ortiz's City Council position is part-time. Her full-time job is as a school support administrator, supervising counselors. However, during the events related to her lawsuit, she had served as a school counselor for most of her district career, which began in 2006.
L.A. Unified confirmed that Ortiz has been removed from his position “pending the outcome of a formal investigation,” a district spokesperson said. The school district declined to provide additional information.
Citing the issues raised in the lawsuit and the ongoing investigation, one union, California School Employees Association Chapter 500, withdrew its support for Ortiz. The union represents approximately 4,000 employees, including library aides and school administrative and business services staff.
Ortiz is backed by the campaign's biggest spender, Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union. The organization represents approximately 30,000 employees, including cafeteria workers, custodians, teacher aides, security aides and bus drivers.
Local 99 spent $708,191 It worked on Ortiz's behalf until Friday and also engaged members in a door-to-door campaign.
Local 99 spokeswoman Blanca Gallegos said Thursday that Ortiz “has consistently demonstrated a deep dedication to supporting children and families.” “According to our understanding, Graciela's cooperation in the investigation of the incident led to Valdivia's motion for a no contest.”
campaign volunteer
During the 2018-2019 school year, Bachelor attended Marquez High School in Huntington Park. According to her complaint, she met Ortiz, who was a counselor and faculty advisor for the Key Club, to which her students belonged.
Ortiz unsuccessfully recruited academics and other students to work on his 2019 school board campaign, a special election to fill the vacancy, the complaint says. Are listed. Schools were closed in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but BA reunited with Ortiz later that year at a Christmas toy drive, the suit states.
At Ortiz's urging, BA participated in another campaign in early 2021 to help Martinez win election to the local Democratic Party Executive Committee, according to the complaint.
Mr. Valdivia has also been involved in Mr. Martinez's 2021 efforts, and the complaint says he is a “personal friend” of Mr. Martinez who has created videos and ads for his campaign office and volunteered at campaign events. He is said to have driven the vehicle.
According to the complaint, Ortiz was “primarily responsible for the campaign, organizing volunteers and speaking daily at campaign headquarters to instruct volunteers on what to do, including interacting with Billy Valdivia.” has been done. The activities of young volunteers.
Valdivia, then 44, socialized with underage students, bought them alcohol and drove them around, according to the complaint. According to the complaint, he finally dropped Ms. BA off and gradually led her into a sexual relationship with his 16-year-old girlfriend, sometimes taking her to his own apartment.
According to the complaint, BA told a family member about the physical contact and notified Huntington Park police, who conducted a sting operation. BA requested a one-on-one meeting with Valdivia, and when Valdivia arrived driving a car borrowed from Martinez, officers arrested him, the complaint states.
According to the complaint, officers found photos and videos on Valdivia's cell phone that corroborated BA's account. At the time of his arrest, he was in possession of an unregistered firearm. The complaint states that at least one other weapon was found at his residence.
Valdivia was charged with three weapons-related felonies and one misdemeanor count of harassing or sexually abusing a victim under 18. According to the Crown Court, he appealed two charges: improperly carrying a loaded firearm in public and nuisance/sexual abuse. record.
He received a two-year suspended sentence, including 46 days in custody, and had to register as a sex offender, according to court records.
Questions about litigation
At issue in the civil lawsuit against Martinez and Ortiz is whether they were negligent in hiring and supervising Valdivia and allowing him to interact with minors.
The lawsuit alleges that Ortiz and Martinez should have conducted a background check on Valdivia, and that if they had done so, they would have found court records showing him to be a potential danger.
A review of limited court documents, including names and case numbers, indicates that an individual named Billy Valdivia was charged with firearms charges in the 1990s. The Times could not confirm whether it was the same person because case records that would have included his date of birth have been destroyed.
Court records also show a domestic dispute involving an individual named Billy Valdivia, who shares the same date of birth as the campaign worker. In that case, Valdivia's then-wife claimed he had been violent to her and sought a restraining order against him, according to court documents. The restraining order was in effect for a short period of time. There is no evidence that any charges have been filed.
Both the weapons incident and the domestic conflict occurred more than 20 years ago.
Mr. Valdivia and his criminal lawyer, Albert Robles, did not respond to emails or phone calls from The Times.
In a letter emailed to the Times by BA's lawyers, Sievers denies any connection between BA and the Ortiz and Martinez campaigns, saying: Her camp knows about her. ”
However, former Huntington Park Police Detective Mike Navia, who oversaw the case, said BA was a campaign volunteer during the period and was in regular contact with Ortiz, Martinez, Valdivia and others. Stated.
Navia no longer works for the city after losing his job in the wake of a public dispute in which he criticized Ortiz and other city officials as police union leaders.
BA's attorney, Thomas Scully, prepared a letter of recommendation that Ortiz wrote in 2019 praising BA's help with his campaign.
He added that it is standard practice for victims to sue their employers because perpetrators usually do not have assets that can be recovered as compensation.
“The duty of care is enhanced in this case because the victim was a minor,” Scully said. “She was seduced from her school environment, where there was a special relationship between her and her former school counselor, who led her into her reasonable belief that she would be cared for as a volunteer.” I guided him.”
