Death of a Public Servant

Mitzi Ortiz, the Aliso Viejo city manager, was 45. Life isn't fair.

Humanity is strange, in that we’re able to go about our business, open our gifts, hug our families, drink our nog—while also being aware of tragedies happening near and far. And I’m not saying we’re wrong being this way. I don’t actually know the alternative. Existence is beffudling.

That being said, as I sit here writing this on Christmas Day, having just enjoyed some lovely time with my wife and kids (we’re Jewish, but still …), I find myself thinking of the family of Mitzi Ortiz, the Aliso Viejo City Manager who died three days ago at the far-too-young age of 45.

I never met Ortiz, but Tiffany Ackley, Aliso Viejo’s mayor, reached out with the gutting news. Mitzi had worked for the city for 11 years, and—by all accounts—avoided the partisan rancor that has (to be blunt) f@cked up so many elements of society. She was warm, friendly, likable, agreeable, decent, kind. Read her obituary: “Mitzi was funny in the way that mattered—quick-witted, observant, and able to lighten even difficult moments without diminishing their importance. She loved to laugh, tell stories, and share inside jokes with the people closest to her.” When she first took the gig 11 years ago, Christopher Yee off the OC Register asked Ortiz what she hoped to accomplish. “I intend to keep things running,” she said. “I see a city clerk as a liaison between the city and the community, and I hope to live up to that vision of being active in the community, being a good resource for our community and keeping things moving in a positive direction.”

And, really, that’s who she was and what she did. In a way, Mitzi Ortiz should be a model for local government. The job, ultimately, isn’t to arm wrestle over left v. right or pride flag v. no pride flag. It’s to make lives easier and better. Keep the streets safe, keep the potholes filled, help a single grandparent know where to go for tax assistance, make certain the local fair is properly insured and staffed. It’s neither sexy nor glamorous, but you damn well know when the tasks aren’t well done. That was never an issue with Mitzi Ortiz.

“This is a heartbreaking loss for our city,” said the Mayor Tiffany Ackley. “Mitzi had recently stepped into her role as City Manager after being unanimously promoted from within following a long and dedicated tenure at City Hall. She led with compassion and humility, and cared deeply about this community and the people who serve it. She will be profoundly missed.”

Mitzi is survived by her son, Aasin Ortiz; her daughter, Maiya Ortiz; her sister, Martha Leticia Dominguez Morales; her brother, Randy Morales Dominguez; and her father, Jesus Dias Dominguez.

So tonight, when you’re gathered around the table, staring at your families, take it all in, embrace it, squeeze it.

And think of Mitzi Ortiz and her family.

Think of life’s fragility.