Leslie A. Ortiz (she/her/ella)

Leslie A. Ortiz, Research Associate, conducts research on policies and reforms related to early care and education, and housing and homelessness. At the Budget Center, she assists with analyzing the ways in which California can improve child care provider compensation and make child care and affordable housing accessible to all Californians.

Before joining the Budget Center in 2026, Leslie earned bachelor’s degrees in public affairs and Chicana/o and Central American studies from the University of California, Los Angeles. During her time there, she was a programs assistant intern at the Civics Center, where she provided voter registration resources to high schools nationwide. Leslie also supported analyses on civic engagement, immigrant rights, and legislative affairs in the City of Los Angeles.

As the daughter of Salvadoran and Mexican immigrants, a first-generation college graduate, and a Downtown Los Angeles native, Leslie is driven by her upbringing to build policies that uplift communities across California. In her free time,  you can find her trying new coffee shops, binge-watching Abbott Elementary, and spending time with her family and friends.