Top LA journalist had fling with Dem SoCal lawmaker, let her write his stories: report

A high-profile Los Angeles immigration reporter has been fired amid allegations of ethical breaches, including claims he had a secret romantic relationship with a rising California state senator and allowed her to help write stories published under his byline.Memo Torres, 46, abruptly parted ways with left-leaning news outlet L.A.TACO this week after an internal investigation that the publication says followed nearly five months of discussions over repeated violations of its policies and journalistic standards.The split has sparked a public war of words between Torres and his former employer, with L.A.

TACO pushing back against claims it forced him out to scale back its coverage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids across Southern California.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “Memo Torres did important work here, and we’re grateful that he rose to the challenge when ICE began their siege of our city.But we fired him for repeated violations of our policies and our basic journalistic standards.

That’s it.That’s the reason,” the outlet said in a statement published Saturday.The publication said it gave Torres multiple opportunities to take responsibility and improve, insisting his departure had nothing to do with its immigration coverage.“The rumor that we’ve turned our back on ICE coverage is a lie.

And a dangerous one,” the statement said.But according to reporting by LA Material, sources have raised questions about Torres’ coverage of Democratic state Sen.Sasha Renee Pérez, 34, including allegations that the pair had a personal relationship while he reported on her political agenda.The most serious allegation is that Pérez was allowed to edit and write portions of stories published under Torres’ byline.

The senator has stro...