Mixed martial arts star Tito Ortiz was born and raised in California, but says Governor Gavin Newsom’s failed leadership led him to relocate his family.
The 51-year-old UFC champion revealed he moved his family to Florida for the “protection” that was missing in California, his home state, where he had served as a council member and mayor pro tempore in Huntington Beach, where he was born and raised.
“I never wanted to leave California. But I left because of the crime, the fraud, and the growing threat to the safety of my children,” Ortiz told Fox News Digital. “Like millions of other parents, I made the difficult decision to move my family to Florida — not for opportunity, but for protection. No parent should ever be forced to flee their home state to keep their children safe.”
“Gavin Newsom’s failures didn’t start in Sacramento. He helped devastate San Francisco, then exported those same disastrous policies statewide. The result is undeniable: exploding crime, rampant fraud, lawless streets, unaffordable housing, crushed small businesses, and families who no longer feel safe in their own communities,” he added. “California cannot survive more of the same.”
Newsom’s office responded with a disrespectful dismissal of Ortiz’s criticism, telling Fox News Digital in a statement, “We’re not sure who Tito Ortiz is, but we wish him well. Bye!”
“Ortiz, nicknamed ‘The Huntington Beach Bad Boy,’ is a pioneering UFC Hall of Famer and former light heavyweight champion. He held the UFC light heavyweight championship from April 2000 to September 2003, defending it five times,” Fox News reported. “He finished his professional MMA career with a 21-12-1 record and had his final fight in 2019.”
He is now joining with former UFC fighter Dan Henderson, another Californian, in endorsing Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco for governor of the state.
“Sheriff Chad Bianco is not a career politician. He is a proven leader with courage and integrity,” Ortiz said of the Republican candidate, citing his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns.
“In 2020, when Gavin Newsom ruled by decree and used fear as a weapon, Sheriff Bianco stood up and refused to enforce unconstitutional lockdowns. He defended churches, small businesses, and the fundamental rights of Californians.”
“Anyone can talk. Sheriff Bianco acted. When it mattered most, he stood with the people, not the political elite. He has earned my vote, my endorsement, and my trust. California deserves leadership that will fight back, restore law and order, and put families first again.”
Henderson spoke to Fox News Digital in November about his backing of Bianco.
“It was kind of a blessing that he didn’t shut everything down as long as we were being responsible with everything. I kind of admired how he handled that whole situation,” Henderson said.
“A lot of business owners would have went out of business, and maybe even worse, as far as losing a lot of the things that they had, had he shut all the businesses down like the governor wanted. … It was more common sense,” he added. “He didn’t panic and think the world was going to end.”
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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