Residents are launching a petition to recall embattled San Jose City Councilman Omar Torres

San Jose, California. – Enough is enough: that is the message from community leaders San Jose.

“This is pretty much an SOS from the District 3 community,” said Dee Barrigan, who lives in the district.

Residents and entrepreneurs say so controversial city councilor Omar Torres is no longer fit to serve, and they launch an effort to recall him.

“It was the voters who brought him to power. It will be the voters who will remove him from office,” said Matthew Quevedo, one of the recall organizers. Quevedo, works in mayor Matt Mahan‘s office, but says he is speaking only in his capacity as a long-term resident of District 3.

Torres is currently the subject of a police investigation after sending a series of sexually explicit messages about children. His lawyer called them “fantasy and role-playing games.” Community leaders call them a disgrace.

“What has been said is largely inappropriate. The councilor has lost trust in the community. People are looking for representation. We don’t have anyone on council to represent us,” Quevedo said.

Torres has been absent from the council for three weeks. He has been stripped of all his committee positions. And he requested a 30-day medical leave to improve his mental health, which was not approved.

“He’s been absolutely silent. He hasn’t attended any public meetings or city council meetings. So he’s basically giving up his position and his responsibilities,” said Jeff Levine, a downtown resident.

Residents say they need to take action because the city council has no mechanism to vote him out. Councilor Bien Doan wants to change that.

“Even after that, we make sure that we change the policy, change the charter, so that if this ever happens again, we have the ability to remove a council member,” Doan said.

The recall is a slow process. Residents are distributing a petition and must collect more than 5,000 signatures. It could take months. They really hope that Torres will resign instead.

“I hope in the coming weeks, and under the pressure of a recall, that he will do the right thing for the city and for his constituents,” said Steve Cohen, a resident.

We’ve reached out to Torres but haven’t heard back yet. Recall organizers expect to submit a letter of intent within a week or two, which will require an initial batch of 250 signatures. By the end of the year, they hope to have the 5,000 signatures they need to bring the recall to a vote.