Oscarin Ortega

Candidate for City Council Member, Oceanside, District 2 · Nonprofit Executive

Oscarin Ortega is a lifelong Oceanside resident who grew up on Center Street in Crown Heights in a family that worked multiple jobs to get by. As a young adult he experienced homelessness and lived on Oceanside's streets while struggling with undiagnosed mental-health conditions, including anxiety and depression, rooted in childhood trauma. Becoming a father became a turning point, leading him toward education, therapeutic practices and mental-health awareness. In 2019 he founded Lived Experiences, a grassroots Oceanside nonprofit that provides free food, diapers, laundry services, mentorship and other support to underserved families, including weekly food distribution at three locations and partnerships with the Oceanside school district for classroom food and book programs. He is the father of five children.

According to local news coverage of his campaign, Ortega says many District 2 residents feel overlooked and underrepresented, and his top priorities include centering residents in City Hall discussions, supporting small businesses, creating tax breaks on everyday necessities for seniors, protecting local families from aggressive immigration policies, advocating for city-owned affordable housing, and revitalizing the San Luis Rey River. No campaign website or candidate survey answers were located for Ortega; these positions are drawn from local news coverage of his campaign.

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