Researchers have said<\/a> the psychedelic has been found to have a high rate of improving depressed moods and helps the brain grow and rewire itself.<\/p>\nTorres Valenzuela pulled in and out of applicant pool<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela medically retired from the Army in 2022 and first applied to the San Antonio Fire Department a year later. <\/p>\n
He said he was honest on the application and included that he briefly used psilocybin.<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela took the SAFD exam and then went through the necessary evaluations to join the fire academy \u2014 including a fitness test, background check and medical examinations.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe HR (human resources) department made me aware that that answer, or that ingestion of psilocybin, was a disqualifying answer,\u201d Torres Valenzuela said. \u201cBut, due to the circumstances, they would allow me to continue with the process and put me through the polygraph to ensure that that was the only thing that could hold me back.\u201d <\/p>\n
In September 2024, Torres Valenzuela was informed that he had been disqualified as a firefighter trainee due to the use of illicit substances, city records show.<\/p>\n
San Antonio Fire Department applicant Juan Torres Valenzuela. (KSAT)<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela then appeared before the Fire Fighters\u2019 and Police Officers\u2019 Civil Service Commission to appeal the city\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
After Torres Valenzuela appealed the decision to the commission and argued that he ingested the drug for medical purposes, he was placed back into the applicant pool that October, records show.<\/p>\n
One month later, however, City Manager Erik Walsh filed a letter with the commission stating that he had pulled Torres Valenzuela\u2019s application.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe basis for the non-appointment, and the valid, good, and sufficient reason for the non-appointment is due to the use of illicit substances,\u201d the November 2024 letter states.<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela said he took the exam again to ensure he was on the 2025 eligibility list.<\/p>\n
He said he was contacted last year by a member of human resources and was asked if he was still interested in joining the department.<\/p>\n
After Torres Valenzuela pointed out that the city manager had pulled his application, he was informed that the disqualifying answer was no longer an issue because the commission had previously voted to put him back into the applicant pool.<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela was then informed last fall that he was again disqualified for the use of illicit substances.<\/p>\n
\u201cDisappointed and irritated because from the beginning,\u201d Torres Valenzuela said. \u201cI told them I didn\u2019t want to waste anybody\u2019s time. They assured me it wouldn\u2019t be the same.\u201d <\/p>\n
In early November, Torres Valenzuela again attempted to appeal the decision.<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela was barred from voicing his appeal during a civil service commission meeting in early November. (KSAT)<\/p>\n
Before he could address the commissioners, however, the general counsel for the civil service commission interjected that Walsh had pulled the application and the commission no longer had jurisdiction because the city manager\u2019s determination was final, according to footage of the meeting recorded by KSAT.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t know what he has against me. I haven\u2019t met the guy,\u201d said Torres Valenzuela, when asked about Walsh.<\/p>\n
City officials refused to make Walsh available for an interview for this story.<\/p>\n
SAFD accepted applicant who admitted using ecstasy and ketamine<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela blasted the hiring practices of the department after learning they allowed a fellow applicant to join the academy despite her admission that she used ecstasy and ketamine recreationally.<\/p>\n
The other applicant, Sheina McManus, was also labeled as permanently unsuitable for the use of illicit substances, city records show.<\/p>\n
She appealed the disqualification in 2022 and was eventually hired by SAFD in June 2024, according to records.<\/p>\n
Reached for comment, McManus referred all questions from KSAT about her prior drug use to the department\u2019s public information office.<\/p>\n
An SAFD spokesman said that McManus\u2019 use of ecstasy and ketamine occurred before she was 17 years old.<\/p>\n
In a separate email, a city spokesman said admitted drug use when under the age of 17 does not automatically disqualify someone from being appointed, per civil service rules.<\/p>\n
City officials late last year blocked the release of emails regarding McManus. <\/p>\n
San Antonio Firefighter Sheina McManus. (KSAT)<\/p>\n
Torres Valenzuela completed his firefighter and EMS training at a nearby fire academy in December and recently joined a neighboring fire department.<\/p>\n
The SAFD Bravo cadet class Torres Valenzuela had hoped to be part of began training last month.<\/p>\n
Training exercises at the San Antonio Fire Academy earlier this year. (KSAT)<\/p>\n
From the start of 2023 to December 2024, 5,108 people applied to SAFD.<\/p>\n
Forty-nine of those applicants were labeled as permanently unsuitable.<\/p>\n
Out of the total applicant pool, 233 people were appointed to the department, according to figures previously released by SAFD.<\/p>\n
KSAT Investigates requested updated figures covering 2025, but the city has failed to turn over those records, months after the information was requested.<\/p>\n
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page<\/a>.<\/p>\nCopyright 2026 by KSAT – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SAN ANTONIO \u2013 A U.S. Army veteran slammed City Manager Erik Walsh and the hiring practices of the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":150324,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[3084,14613,4976,633,82,84,83],"class_list":["post-150323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-san-antonio","tag-city-hall","tag-erik-walsh","tag-ksat-investigates","tag-safd","tag-san-antonio","tag-san-antonio-headlines","tag-san-antonio-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=150323"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/150323\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/150324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=150323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=150323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=150323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}