Three decades of journalism experience, as a writer and editor with Gannett, Knight-Ridder and Lee newspapers, as a business journal editor and publisher and as a weekly newspaper editor in Scotts Valley and Gilroy; with the Weeklys group since 2017. Recipient of several first-place writing and editing awards, California News Publishers Association.
The mayor said that for the past two weeks, Torres has not shown up to any council meetings, community meetings or committees to which he has been assigned.
The split vote Wednesday evening came hours after a Superior Court judge turned down a request from Dewan’s lawyers for an order blocking a board vote.
The pleas from business groups are based on revelations in an Oct. 1 police affidavit of sexually explicit comments by Councilmember Omar Torres about young boys.
The Santa Clara County Board of Education, which voted to dismiss Dewan on Oct. 2, is slated to appoint an Orange County educator, Charles Hinman as the interim superintendent at its meeting tonight.
Omar Torres’ attorney affirmed that the first-term council member has engaged in sexually explicit social media activities revealed in graphic detail in an affidavit filed in connection with search warrants on Torres’ property.
The San Jose police union accused City Manager Jennifer Maguire of attempting to divert police resources from the investigation of Omar Torres to instead go after media for leaking an affidavit that was on file with the court.
The debate at the end of the first week after ballots were mailed to registered voters was combative but offered voters few real differences of opinion between the progressive Evan Low and the moderate Sam Liccardo.
Neither Torres or police gave any details about the allegations. Several media outlets have reported the allegations involve possible sexual misconduct related to online searches.
Defend the Vote said that Low’s state campaign committee is funded through money that is not permitted to be spent in federal elections, and that he is using impermissible funds on federal campaign ads.
Mary Ann Dewan was dismissed Oct. 2 after six years leading the county Office of Education. She is now demanding reinstatement, claiming the board violated California’s Brown Act and had no authority to fire her.
On the first survey question posed to likely 16th District voters, Liccardo leads Low 42% to 28%, according to a memo from the pollsters. The margin of error is plus or minus 4%.
A DNA match led investigators to the arrest Monday of James A. Whisenand in Indiana on charges related to a violent home invasion rape of a 61-year-old woman in San Jose 15 years ago
