Los Angeles journalist fired over ethical breach allegations

Memo Torres, a prominent immigration reporter for the news outlet L.A. TACO, has been terminated following an internal investigation into violations of journalistic standards and company policies.

The allegations include claims of a secret romantic relationship between Torres and California State Senator Sasha Renee Pérez, as well as allegations that Pérez assisted in writing stories published under Torres’ byline.

L.A. TACO stated that the decision followed five months of discussions regarding repeated policy violations. The publication denied claims that the firing was an attempt to reduce coverage of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in Southern California, asserting that the departure was strictly due to ethical breaches. A source close to Torres has disputed the ghostwriting allegations.