Oscar de la Torre Resigns as Director of Embattled Youth Center

After more than a decade, Oscar de la Torre has reportedly resigned from his post as the executive director of the Pico Youth and Family Center, delivering on his promise to the City Council, which has scrutinized the organization's management.

De la Torre, who is also an elected member of the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District, told the Santa Monica Lookout he hopes his departure will give the center a "fair hearing" when the council decides this summer whether to end its funding.

The city has issued a request for proposals to local nonprofits to compete for a $315,000 grant that currently funds the youth center. City officials have accused the center of payroll errors, potential conflicts of interest with the de la Torre and high turnover on its Board of Directors.

At a City Council meeting in January, de la Torre offered to resign on March 31.

According to the Lookout:

De la Torre hopes that his stepping down will help PYFC in the RFP process. “We hope that the City staff won't have an excuse to not give us a fair hearing,” he said.

If the PYFC is replaced by another nonprofit, de la Torre said, “It will be seen, by some, as a hostile takeover of a grassroots effort.”

The youth center was founded nearly 15 years ago in response to community demands for mediating youth and gang violence after five shootings and four homicides in just one month in 1998.

In a report to the City Council in May, city staffers wrote, "over the years there have been concerns about conflicting roles and difficulty in assessing whether the Executive Director is acting on behalf of the PYFC, as [a] school board member or an independent neighborhood leader."

For the full story in the Santa Monica Lookout, click over to surfsantamonica.com.

SEE ALSO:

Another Chance for Pico Youth Center

Youth Center Sinks Deeper Into Hot Water With City

$1.6M Donation to Youth Center Tied Up in Court

Impassioned Santa Monica-Malibu School Board Member Addresses Alleged Racial Harassment Incident

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