Welcome to District Three everyone! My name is Omar Torres and I am the Councilmember for San José's District 3 which makes up the greater Downtown region of our City.

 

I grew up in a Downtown neighborhood called Guadalupe - Washington, a primarily Latino working-class area. My parents and grandparents worked at the Del Monte Canneries, and though they put in long hours, they instilled in my siblings and me solid working-class values around education, community, and hard work.

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It wouldn't be long before I started applying these working-class values to advocate for my community. When I was 14, a tragic and fatal drive-by shooting targeted the neighborhood in front of my community's local elementary school. The dreadful news motivated me to help organize my community and through hard work and relentless determination, we were able to accomplish a great deal for our neighborhood. This unfortunate event resulted in a new beginning for my community which included the creation of a new youth center and library. Instead of hiding and restricting our youth to their homes, we retook our neighborhood and ensured that it was a place for our youth to not only learn and grow but also flourish.

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From then, I continued to dedicate most of my teenage years and adult life to advocating for the youth and families through several positions of leadership and community organizing. As Executive Director for a local non-profit, I was able to continue serving the Guadalupe-Washington families that raised me in my youth through social service program management, providing community services, and coordinating volunteers and staff. Additionally, I have worked closely with supporting the houseless population of San José, served on two local school boards, worked within several departments at City Hall, and help build coalitions across our neighborhoods.

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Over my lifetime, I have poured my heart and soul into the Guadalupe-Washington community and the people of San José. 

 

I am the first gay Latino to sit on any City Council in Santa Clara County. Elected to my first term in November 2022, I am ready to take on the fight for improving our schools, implementing new affordable housing projects, installing new parks, bringing in new small businesses, enhancing our City's infrastructure, and more! Thank you to the residents of Downtown San José for electing me as their District 3 Councilmember!

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Our Council District 3 has been a tremendous catalyst for activism. I am simply the product of that activism that has been long engrained in me. I hope to see you at events, City Council meetings, and around the neighborhood because together we can accomplish so much!

 

Yours Truly,

 

Councilmember Omar Torres