Out San Jose, Sonoma candidates advance
A gay man running to be the first out person of color on the San Jose City Council and a gay married mother seeking to become the first female Sonoma County superintendent of schools are one step closer to being elected.Omar Torres placed first in his race for San Jose's 3rd council district seat on Tuesday's primary ballot.
He received 40.66% of the vote, according to the unofficial returns Wednesday.Since he did not surpass the 50% threshold to clinch the seat outright, Torres will face off on the November general election ballot against the second-place finisher, Irene Smith.
The mediator and volunteer attorney with Santa Clara County's Pro Bono Project received 20.52% of the vote in the June 7 contest.It has been 16 years since the council for the Bay Area's largest city has had an LGBTQ person serving on it.
Ken Yeager, San Jose's first gay councilmember elected in 2000, departed in 2006 when he became the first, and so far only, out member of the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors.Torres is currently an elected member on the board of the San Jose Evergreen Community College District and a regional director for the California Democratic Party.
