San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan announced that because Councilmember Omar Torres continues to be a no-show at various boards and committees, as mayor he will take the unusual step at Tuesday’s city council meeting of asking other council members to replace their 3rd District colleague on all city committees, boards and commissions.

“By now most of you have heard about the allegations against Councilmember Torres and read excerpts from the police affidavit,” he wrote in his regular online “A Message from Mayor Matt” posted on Sunday.

“Let me be very clear – you have the right to be shocked, disgusted and furious. You have the right to feel as though he can no longer represent you.”

Mahan and the city council last week asked Torres to resign immediately, based on revelations in an Oct. 1 police affidavit of sexually explicit comments by Torres about young boys.

Police said they are continuing a criminal investigation of the often lurid messages between Torres and a Chicago man over a multi-year period. Torres’ attorney confirmed that the messages were authentic but do not constitute any crime. The council member has not been arrested or charged with any crime, and has not appeared at any city meetings or functions since Oct.3.

In his Oct. 20 community newsletter, Mahan said that while “Councilmember Torres, like anyone else in our community, has the right to a thorough investigation and due process under the law…he has not listened to the voices of the community asking him to step down for the good of the city.”

“As elected officials, we are held to a higher standard of conduct – and for good reason,” he wrote. “Trust is the foundation of representative democracy.”

Mahan said in the newsletter that the council has “very limited tools” to use to respond to the continuing scandal. “The council is limited in the action we can take to remove him from office,” the mayor said. “He can either resign, the community can gather signatures to recall him through a long and expensive process, or if he misses five consecutive Council meetings, his seat can be considered vacant.”

Mahan 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 mayor said Torres’ empty chairs need to be filled to “ensure continuity and representation on various boards and commissions involving city business…to fill those gaps in other important roles and functions “

“I want to assure you – we will not let this unfortunate situation distract us from making progress on the issues you care most about,” he told city residents. “We will fill in the gaps caused by his absence until a more permanent solution is possible. Because life goes on and so does city business.”

Here are Torres' current committee and board assignments:

• Public Safety, Finance, and Strategy Support
• Community and Economic Development
• Neighborhood Services and Education, vice chair
• Arts Commission, liaison
• Downtown Parking Board, liaison
• Library and Education Commission, liaison
• San Jose Youth Empowerment Alliance
• Santa Clara Valley Habitat Agency Governing Board, alternate
• Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Board
• Santa Clara VTA Policy Advisory Board – Diridon Station
• Silicon Valley Regional Interoperability Project
• Team San José/Convention and Visitors Bureau, liaison
• Schools and City Collaborative