An attorney for the city of San Bernardino has sent a cease and desist letter to Councilwoman Treasure Ortiz, ordering her to stop publicly alleging that police provided information about her from a law enforcement database to a political opponent.
In January, the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office charged Ortiz with secretly recording conversations with San Bernardino police. She pleaded not guilty Feb. 19.
The city’s moves are in response to a $2 million legal claim Ortiz filed against the city last year that alleges an SBPD detective who was also a police union official used the state’s CLETS law enforcement database to do a criminal background check, then threatened to furnish the confidential information about Ortiz to political opponents.
“Repeated public accusations of corruption, dishonesty, and unlawful conduct have subjected City employees to unnecessary ongoing reputational harm and unsupported professional scrutiny,” according to the Feb. 27 letter to Ortiz from Irma Rodriguez Moisa, the city’s outside counsel from Cerritos-based firm Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo.
“As an elected official with oversight authority, your conduct carries heightened weight and impact not only to City staff but also to the general public who rely on leaders to make fact-based decisions,” the attorney wrote. “Thus, your conduct has created and perpetuated a hostile work environment, undermined public confidence in City institutions, and violated the ethical standards.”
Ortiz did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
According to the Ward 7 councilwoman elected in 2024, San Bernardino Chief of Police Darren Goodman told her the CLETS search was illegal and there would be a criminal case against the former officer who did the background check.
“My hope through this whole process is that we are sending a message to the residents, to public employees and to future leaders that no one is above the law,” Ortiz said. “Doing the right thing is not optional, it is expected.”
City officials have denied Ortiz’s characterization of her meeting with Goodman that took place in August 2024.
“Despite the City’s clear determination, on or about August 6, 2025, you escalated your conduct by holding a press conference outside of the San Bernardino City Hall and posting the recording on social media,” according to the cease and desist letter. “Here, you again described the contents of your meeting with Lt. (Jose) Loera and subsequent conversations with Chief Goodman. Despite an investigation finding otherwise, you again alleged corruption within the City and the Police Department and subsequently made statements directly attacking the character, credibility, and integrity of City staff. These statements were made after you had been informed that your claims were false and dishonest, rendering your continued repetition of those allegations based on knowing indifference to factual findings.”
Ortiz told Inland Empire Community News last year that her fight is not with law enforcement as a whole.
“Being a police officer is the only job where you have to make split-second life and death decisions where the community gives you no margin for error,” Ortiz said. “To watch people at the top who don’t put their lives on the line further erode trust is not okay. I have never had a bad interaction with a cop. I respect the men and women who serve, but a bad cop spoils the rest of the 99.”
The cease and desist letter is on the city’s website.
