Criminal Charges Filed Against Councilmember Treasure Ortiz

The City of San Bernardino issued a statement Wednesday regarding criminal charges filed by the San Bernardino County District Attorney against Councilmember Treasure Ortiz for unlawfully recording San Bernardino Police personnel in violation of California Penal Code Section 632(a).

The complaint alleges that Councilmember Treasure Ortiz intentionally and without consent used an electronic amplifying and recording device to eavesdrop and record confidential communications with San Bernardino Police Department personnel.  Councilmember Ortiz is scheduled to be arraigned on the criminal charges on February 19, 2026.

Previously, Councilmember Ortiz filed a federal lawsuit against the City of San Bernardino seeking more than $2 million in damages for what she asserts was an illegal search of the CLETS system in March 2019.  An independent investigator hired by the City of San Bernardino confirmed that no one conducted an illegal search of the CLETS system, which is heavily regulated and audited annually by the State of California Attorney General’s Office. 

Based on the independent investigation, Mayor Tran and the City Council characterized the Ortiz lawsuit as a complete misrepresentation of the facts and an unfair disparagement of City employees and officials in an attempt to obtain millions in taxpayer dollars from the City. 

The City is represented by attorney Stephen Larson in the lawsuit by Ortiz.  Larson has stated:  “After receiving Councilmember Ortiz’s claim, the City engaged a highly qualified, experienced, and independent firm to review and investigate the allegations and found them to be entirely unfounded.” Larson further stated: “The independent investigation found that any criminal background searches as alleged in the claim were conducted in strict accordance with the law, a fact confirmed by official audits. The City believes that Councilmember Ortiz’s allegations of wrongdoing are factually and legally baseless and will be exposed as such in court.”

The City has declined to comment further.