Replacing the seat of former San Jose City Councilmember Omar Torres will now be up to the voters with the city council overwhelmingly voting in favor of a special election on Tuesday.
In an 8-2 vote, the San Jose City Council decided to move forward with a special election and it could cost the city millions of dollars.
Torres resigned after his arrest on suspicion of sex crimes involving minors.
“Fundamentally, I believe the best way to ensure trust in our institutions, let people run in competitive and open races,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.
The council will select an interim representative for district 3 until the special election takes place.
During public comment, more than dozen community members shared their thoughts on the decision to move forward with a special election.
“It’s well known that special elections doesn’t have a turn out like a traditional election does,” said one resident.
“The representative should not be polarizing, healing and recovery for our downtown,” said another resident.
San Jose city staff estimated the special election could cost up to $3.2 million.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
The city plans to hold the special election next April with the newly elected councilmember likely taking office in August.
