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San Bernardino reports $4.875 million settlement, denies councilmember Ortiz's $2 million claim
Summary
At a May meeting the city reported a $4,875,000 closed‑session settlement in a wrongful‑death claim and publicly denied Councilmember Treasure Ortiz's $2,000,000 damage claim, saying its review found the allegations false and that criminal conduct may be under review.
The mayor and City Council of San Bernardino on May 7 reported a $4,875,000 settlement approved in closed session and announced the city has denied a $2,000,000 claim filed by Councilmember Treasure Ortiz.
The council voted unanimously in closed session to approve a proposed settlement in the matter captioned Victoria Brown, personal representative for the estate of Robert Brown, versus the city of San Bernardino; claim number GHC0067190. City staff then read a public statement saying the council had also reviewed a separate claim filed by Ortiz (GHC0082770) and denied it after an investigation.
City staff said the Brown matter and a notice of claim from Robert Jeffrey Cortez were companion items discussed in closed session; the settlement motion was made by Councilmember Sanchez and seconded by Councilmember Flores and carried unanimously. The city clerk reported the settlement figure as $4,875,000.
On the Ortiz claim, the city released a statement saying Ortiz alleged that a former detective conducted an illegal CLETS search of her criminal history and shared that information with a political opponent. The statement says the city's review determined the California Law Enforcement Telecommunication System (CLETS) searches were lawfully accessed by authorized personnel in March 2020 and concluded Ortiz's claim was "frivolous, filed in bad faith, dishonest, and an attempt to swindle the city." The statement said the city denied the claim and warned Ortiz she has six months to file a lawsuit and that the city would seek to recover attorney fees under the California Code of Civil Procedure if she files.
The city statement also said potential criminal conduct related to filing false claims is under review.
The council's statement and the settlement announcement were delivered during the meeting's report out from closed session. The council did not take further open‑session action on the Ortiz claim at the meeting; staff said the city would release information about the investigation that supported the denial.
Members of the public had raised the CLETS issue during the meeting's public comment period; speakers urged the council to investigate alleged improper law‑enforcement searches and to hold accountable any employees responsible.
The city will make the official closed‑session report and related documents available as required by law; Ortiz has the option to file suit within the statutory six‑month window.
