San Ramon Valley High grad running for Swalwell’s Congressional seat
Ortega, 41, was born in Oakland and grew up in Hayward before moving to Danville. Today, he lives in San Leandro with his wife, Sophia, and their two young sons, ages 6 and 3, and wears many hats.
“I am a husband, father, small business owner and union member,” Ortega said. “My wife and I are also renters. Her parents are Ethiopian immigrants who realized the American dream. My family was able to afford a Hayward home on one income — yet for families like ours, homeownership is out of reach today.”
U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Dublin, currently represents the state’s 14th Congressional district (swalwell.house.gov/14th-district/about-district) but is running for California governor this year instead of re-election to his seat. As of early February, three other Democrats and one Republican have announced their candidacies for Swalwell’s seat (bit.ly/4ks52Du). Ortega credits his early interest in government to his love of history and a family legacy.
“Some of my earliest memories are thumbing through an illustrated children’s book or playing with toys while my parents watched the news,” he said. “Family history research is a big part of my life, specifically learning about my great-great-grandfather, Jose Urbano Ortega, who served in the New Mexico state legislature in the 1920s and 1930s.
“I take heart in reading his words fighting for the poor, taking on corruption and championing anti-child labor laws.”
Ortega says his childhood experiences, including the loss of his mother, Lynne Ortega, to cervical cancer at age 37, shaped his sense of empathy and public service.
“When I lost my mother at 8, I lived with the belief my family was broken and that I was different,” he said. “My grandmother, Jennie, raised five kids on her own and then stepped up to raise the four of us. That experience underscored an empathy and a desire to help people.”
He graduated from San Ramon Valley High School in 2002, when he also founded E23 Digital, a digital creative firm serving Democratic candidates, labor unions and progressive organizations. The firm’s name honors Oakland’s East 23rd Street, where Ortega’s grandparents lived and where he was partially raised. Housing affordability and family economic security are central to Ortega’s campaign.
“To be close to our family in the Bay Area, my wife and I have to rent. Child care is so expensive, we could only afford to send one son to daycare at a time, and even then, only three days a week,” he said. “Government is more responsive when our leaders share our struggles, and I will carry them with me into office.”
He emphasized federal action to address the housing shortage and rising costs.
“The U.S. has a housing inventory shortfall of two million to six million homes,” Ortega said. “The federal government needs to provide funding for housing construction, assist first-time homebuyers and restrict homeownership by private equity.”
Health care and food security are also his priorities.
“The sole purpose of health insurance companies is to charge high premiums and then deny care,” Ortega said. “That’s why I’m fighting for Medicare for all. In the immediate term, Democrats in Congress must rally the public against cuts to Medicaid and restore expanded ACA (Affordable Care Act) subsidies so millions don’t lose coverage.”
Ortega says he identifies politically as a New Deal liberal.
“I believe in the power of an activist government to help our fellow citizens,” he said. “Life should be easier in the richest nation on earth. Freedom means the ability to get care without medical bankruptcy, to live safely and to be who you are.”
Ortega said his top priorities would be shoring up democracy, taxing the wealthy to fund essential services and holding the current administration accountable for wrongdoing.
“Without accountability, we’ll be back in this situation, but it will be on our sons and daughters to handle,” he said.
He emphasizes accessibility and community engagement.
“If elected, I would aim to be as accessible as possible, through social media or in-person in the district,” he said.
When he’s not working, Ortega says he enjoys spending time with his family, reading historical nonfiction when he can and learning new things.
“As a self-taught designer and developer, I’ve always liked to learn and enjoy challenges, which helped me grow my skill set over the years,” he said.
In the meantime, this East Bay millennial frames his campaign around urgency and change.
“The wreckage of this administration requires a new direction for a new time,” said Ortega. “We can’t afford the status quo. Something different must take its place.”
Ortega (mattortega.com) is on California’s June 2 primary ballot as a Democrat.
Reach Charleen Earley, a freelance writer and journalism professor at Diablo Valley college, at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.