— By F. Scott Faulkner
SANTA MARIA, CA — A high-ranking Santa Maria Joint Union High School District administrator has been charged with three misdemeanor counts, including driving under the influence.
On January 24th, 47-year-old Santa Maria, Ca. resident Yolanda M. Ortiz, assistant superintendent of business services at the school district with an annual salary of $221,000, was formerly charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a blood-alcohol content of 0.08% or higher, and resisting, obstructing, or delaying a peace officer.
According to the criminal complaint filed against her by the Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office, a sentencing enhancement alleges “her blood-alcohol level was 0.15% or higher.”
Ortiz’s problems began on November 18, 2024 when California Highway Patrol officers responded to the reported scene of a crash and found her behind the wheel of her inoperable and disabled 2020 BMW X SUV . Officers contacted Ortiz at the scene and took her into custody on suspicion of DUI and resisting arrest. She was booked into the Santa Barbara County Jail and released shortly after posting bail.
Ortiz has now been ordered to appear before a Santa Maria Superior Court magistrate for arraignment on all charges on March 5, 2025.
