State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab’s Statement on San Jose District 3 City Councilmember Torres’ Arrest & Resignation
Sacramento, CA — In response to the arrest and resignation of San Jose District 3 City Councilmember Omar Torres on three felony charges of child sexual abuse, State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab issued the following statement:
“As a former foster child, I know the deep wounds of trauma and know no one truly knows what is happening in any home. Children deserve protection, yet are often harmed by those they should trust and deemed safe. Omar Torres, a former school board member and well-known community leader, has been accused of unimaginable abuse. He stated he was a victim of child abuse and became an abuser. This is no excuse. Survivors coming forward in this evolving case deserve justice and closure. They deserve our compassion, understanding, and patience. Survivors—and our community—deserve better.
As Chair of the Senate Public Safety Committee, I believe abusers should face the full weight of justice, especially when children are the victims. Justice must be served. I firmly stand with survivors. Now more than ever, we must support and empower them—especially children—to speak up without fear. I commend the San Jose Police Department for swiftly addressing these serious allegations to ensure justice is served.”
State Senator Dr. Aisha Wahab has authored bills balancing protecting children and their rights, while supporting vulnerable communities:
SB 464, Survivors of Sexual Assault, became law on January 1, 2024, enhancing rights for survivors and mandating rape kit testing.
SB 926, Stop the Online Predators Act, expands current revenge porn law by prohibiting unauthorized distribution of artificially created sexually explicit images with the intent to cause serious emotional distress to the person depicted in the image.
SB 981, Digital Identity Theft Act, requires a social media platform to provide a more active mechanism for someone to report sexually explicit images they are featured in to the social media platform.
SB 1381, AI Child Safety, prohibits the possession and distribution of explicit, abusive images of children by clarifying that images created through AI are also prohibited.
SB 1318, Child Suicide Prevention, requires policy updates to ensure students experiencing a mental health crisis on school campus receive care from a qualified behavioral health professional.
SB 1353, Youth Bill of Rights Mental Health, adds the right to receive behavioral health services to the existing types of healthcare that a detained or incarcerated youth has the right to receive.
SB 673, Ebony Alert, creates an alert notification system to address the crisis of missing Black children and young Black women between the ages of 12 and 25.
SB 463, Reunification of Parental Cooperation, removes mandated penalization of parents attempting reunification with their children, but have barriers to participation in programs.