Let's roll! Hundreds of U.S. cities adopted climate plans. Few have met the goals, but it's… Hillicon Valley: Senate package brings cybersecurity billions |… Otoniel "Tony" Navarrete resigned his state Senate seat Tuesday afternoon in a brief letter to Senate President Karen Fann. The resignation is effective immediately, Fann said. The resignation ends a five-year legislative career for the Phoenix Democrat, who has represented a district that stretches from west-central Phoenix to Glendale. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. It comes five days after Navarrete was arrested on seven felony charges related to child sex abuse, and follows days of a torrent of calls for him to step down from the seat he was re-elected to last fall. In a written statement to Fann, with Senate Minority Leader Rebecca Rios copied, Navarrete wrote simply, "Effective immediately, I am officially resigning my post as Arizona State Senator for District 30." "I'm very glad he decided to do the right thing so he can figure out his next steps," said Fann, R-Prescott. Fann said she and Rios, D-Phoenix, will issue a joint statement about the resignation. The two leaders issued a joint plea Monday calling for his immediate departure, especially after an ethics investigation was launched. Navarrete's resignation triggers a replacement process that starts with the precinct committee chairmen in Legislative District 30. They will nominate three candidates, who by law must all be Democrats, as Navarrete is a Democrat. The Maricopa County Board of Supervisors will choose a replacement from that list, who will be sworn in and will serve out the rest of Navarrete's term, which ends in January 2023. A status conference on Navarrete's case is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday. This is a developing story. Check back with azcentral.com for updates. Reach the reporter at maryjo.pitzl@arizonarepublic.com and follow her on Twitter @maryjpitzl. Support local journalism. Subscribe to azcentral.com today. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona state Sen. Tony Navarrete resigns seat after arrest in child sex abuse case