L.A. TACO says it fired star immigration reporter Memo Torres for breaking its journalism rules, and two sources tie the firing to a secret romance with a Democratic state senator whose bill he covered.
Story Highlights
- L.A. TACO says it fired Memo Torres for “repeated violations” of its policies and basic journalistic standards.
- Two sources close to the outlet say managers were troubled by a romance between Torres and state Sen. Sasha Renee Pérez while he wrote about her and her bill.
- The most serious claim, reported from those sources, is that Pérez was allowed to edit and write parts of his stories.
- Pérez admits a past personal relationship but denies writing any articles, and Torres denies any ethics breach.
- His February 6 story on her bill later carried an editor’s note saying it had been changed to meet editorial standards.
- Pérez admits a past personal relationship with Torres, and she said L.A. TACO managers asked the two of them to limit contact about six months ago, and that they did.
- The L.A. TACO staff also challenged Torres to correct the record himself, asking why he stays silent while his followers attack the team.
What L.A. TACO Says Happened
On Saturday, October 24, the staff of L.A. TACO, an independent Los Angeles news site, published a letter about why Memo Torres is gone. “We fired him for repeated violations of our policies and our basic journalistic standards,” the letter said. “That’s it. That’s the reason.” The staff said the decision came after an internal investigation, “nearly five months of conversations,” and “real chances to be accountable and do better.”
Torres, 46, built a national following with round-the-clock coverage of ICE raids in Los Angeles during seven years at the outlet. After he left, he told his followers he had been blindsided, and some fans guessed the outlet pushed him out to pull back on ICE coverage. The staff called that rumor “a lie. And a dangerous one.” They said Torres told them on his last day he was ready to go independent, and that they offered him a generous severance and public support. The letter did not name the specific rules he broke.
The Relationship Claim And The Denials
A report published the same day, citing two sources close to L.A. TACO, said managers had concerns that Torres was bypassing editors, making errors and carrying on a romance with an elected official while writing about her and her legislation. That official is Sasha Renee Pérez, a 34-year-old Democrat and the youngest member of the California Senate. According to the report, managers set up safeguards, including an ethics course Torres allegedly did not finish, and tension peaked in May over a significant error.
Pérez flatly denies the most serious charge. “I did not write any articles or control the editorial decisions of L.A. Taco,” she said. She did admit a past personal relationship with Torres. She said L.A. TACO managers asked the two of them to limit contact about six months ago, and that they did.
Torres also pushes back. “I have no idea what they are talking about,” he said. “I have never refused accountability about anything.” A source close to Torres said he would never let another person write under his name. That source also claimed managers knew about the relationship as early as February and used it as a pretext during internal fights over immigration coverage.
What Is Confirmed So Far
L.A. TACO confirms it fired Torres and says why, in general terms. Pérez confirms the past relationship. Reports also show that Torres wrote about her work. Pérez introduced a bill on February 6, 2026, to add oversight of detention centers. Torres promoted the bill that same day, covered her press conference less than two weeks later and wrote about the bill again the next month. His February 6 story later carried an editor’s note saying it had been changed to meet editorial standards.
The ghostwriting claim, meaning the claim that Pérez wrote parts of stories that ran under Torres’s name, rests on unnamed sources. Both Pérez and Torres deny it. L.A. TACO’s letter does not mention the relationship or tie it to the firing.
Why This Matters To Readers
Torres was not a quiet beat reporter. He was one of the best-known voices covering immigration enforcement, one of the most heated political fights in the country. Pérez’s bill sat squarely on that beat. When a reporter writes about a lawmaker’s bill, readers count on that coverage being his own work, not hers.
That is why journalism ethics codes take this seriously. The Society of Professional Journalists, a national group for reporters, tells journalists to avoid conflicts of interest, to disclose the ones they cannot avoid and to act on their own. A relationship with a public official on your beat is the kind of conflict those rules are written for. Readers can only judge the coverage fairly if they know about it.
What Comes Next
Torres has started his own independent newsletter on Substack, which reached the top three of its U.S. news charts within days, according to reports. L.A. TACO says it will keep covering ICE and immigration and is hiring new reporters. “L.A. TACO will never stop covering ICE, immigration, and the attacks on our communities,” the staff wrote.
The staff also challenged Torres to correct the record himself, asking why he stays silent while his followers attack the team. The outlet’s stated reason stands as the only official word on the firing, and both Torres and Pérez reject the claims made by the unnamed sources.
Sources:
lataco.com, lamaterial.com, nypost.com, spj.org
