Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Page 1
Services Friday for Retired Commissioner Torres
By a MetNews Staff Writer
A funeral mass is scheduled for Friday for retired Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner William R. Torres.
Torres, 79, passed away this past Friday, a court spokesperson said.
Torres retired from the court July 31, 2011 after 17 years as a referee and commissioner, mostly in juvenile court.
Torres grew up in central Los Angeles and studied accounting at USC, graduating in 1960. He was hired as an IRS agent, auditing local businesses, and attend Southwestern Law School at night.
He graduated from Southwestern in 1966, but kept his IRS job for a few years before being hired as a deputy district attorney. He opened his own office in 1974 and handled tax and criminal defense matters, in addition to family law, bankruptcy, personal injury, and general civil work.
He became a referee in 1994, hearing delinquency matters at Los Padrinos juvenile court. He was named a commissioner in January 1997 and assigned initially to the Edelman Children’s Court in Monterey Park.
He spent the last 10 years of his career in juvenile court in Inglewood.
In 1998, he ran for Superior Court judge, hoping to succeed his brother, Ricardo A. Torres, a former presiding judge of the court who survives him. He received 47 percent of the vote, losing to then-Los Angeles Municipal Court Judge John Harris, who outspent him and obtained the lion’s share of organizational endorsements, although both candidates were rated “well qualified’ by the County Bar.
Los Angeles Superior Court Commissioner Steff Padilla, who appeared before Torres often as a juvenile dependency lawyer, said she was saddened when she heard of his passing.
“I really respected him and enjoyed appearing before him,” Padilla told the MetNews.
Friday’s service is scheduled for 10 a.m. at St. Vincent de Paul Church, 621 W. Adams Blvd, Los Angeles 90007. The church’s phone number is 749-8950.
Copyright 2013, Metropolitan News Company