Santa Clara County Democratic Party calls on Omar Torres to resign

San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres’ political support continues to wane as the Santa Clara County Democratic Party’s 3rd District representative joins calls for his resignation.

Over the past two weeks, scrutiny of Torres has intensified as more details about the police investigation into his actions have been made public; Among these, it was claimed that the council member exchanged messages with a 21-year-old man describing the genitals of an autistic teenager. The two appeared to be planning a sexual encounter as she asked the man if he had any potential underage sex partners.

Although the Democratic Party initially called for a thorough investigation, the latest news has left Torres too far removed from retaining his seat in office.

“Councilman Torres admitted, through a representative, that he sent explicit messages about sex with minors,” the statement released Tuesday night said. “Councilman Torres’ admitted conduct renders him unable to represent and serve his constituents and disqualifies him from continued service on the City Council. “We join other community leaders in calling for Councilmember Torres to resign immediately.”

The investigation into Torres began in late August after she reported to San Jose police that a 21-year-old Chicago man was blackmailing her and threatening to release nude photos and videos unless his financial demands were met.

But as law enforcement searched the other man’s phone, they discovered sexually explicit text messages that led officers to suspect that Torres may have engaged in oral sex with a minor (a crime) and showed abnormal interest in a child.

While Torres continues to proclaim his innocence, his legal representative has attributed the text messages to fantasy and roleplay rather than real-world actions, residents, public officials, and leading business and political organizations no longer believe he is capable of effectively holding office.

Among these I demand Torres’ resignation They include San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, the remaining members of the City Council, the San Jose Chamber of Commerce and the San Jose Downtown Association. The San Jose Police Officers Association was the first organization to publicly announce Torres’ resignation.

Under the city’s rules, it can only take minimal financial action against Torres unless he has been convicted of a felony. Other ways a council seat can automatically become vacant include insanity, leaving the state for 60 days, and missing five regularly scheduled City Council meetings in a row.

As Torres continues his efforts to retain power, a group of residents, including Mahan’s deputy chief of staff, announced his intention last week. start a recall petition To force Torres out of his seat.

After the first 250 required signatures are collected, 5,289 signatures will be needed to place the recall question on the ballot unless Torres resigns sooner.

Meanwhile, Torres’ absence from the City Council and his district’s committee meetings and events drew the attention of residents and elected officials over the district’s leadership void and led to the city removing him from all board and committee assignments.

While the council approved Torres’ request for an excused absence from the Oct. 8 meeting, it has not yet taken a position on his absence for the remainder of this month.