Prior to that she had served as Chief of Staff to then State Assemblyman Richard Polanco and as a leader at the Latino Coalition for Fair Sacramento Redistricting.
Ortiz had also served on the Sacramento County Planning Commission, the Oak Park Project Area Committee and the UC Davis Medical Center Community Advisory Board.
Ortiz authored ordinances to hold absentee landlords accountable by imposing penalties on neglected vacant properties and she established a cash reward program for reporting of illegal dumping in neighborhoods.
Ortiz also authored an ordinance that required gun dealers to register with the police department and precluded them from locating near schools and day care centers.
After nearly four years on the city council, Ortiz decided to run for the Assembly seat that Phil Isenberg, a former Mayor of Sacramento was vacating due to term limits.
However, Ortiz lost the June 6, 2006 Democratic primary to fellow State Senator Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey) who ended up defeating McPherson in November.
Ortiz attended UC Davis for her undergraduate studies and received her Juris Doctor degree from McGeorge School of Law.