Registered sex offenders can continue running for public office in California after a panel of State Senators killed a proposal that would have prohibited them from doing so. The State Senate’s Elections Committee on Tuesday rejected the proposal, AB 2753, in a 2-1-2 vote. Democratic San Diego State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes and Republican State Sen. Steven Choi voted yes, the committee’s chairman Democratic San Francisco State Sen. Scott Wiener voted no, while Democratic Santa Ana State Sen. Tom Umberg and El Segundo State Sen. Ben Allen abstained from the vote. Legislative records show the proposal passed the State Assembly unanimously before reaching the State Senate.Fresno Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria wrote the proposal after registered sex offender Rene Campos tried to run for Fresno City Council. He pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor charge of being in possession to child sex abuse material. Soria’s proposal aimed to block anyone listed in California’s three-tiered sex offender registration system from running for office. Tier One offenders remain on the registry for up to 10 years, Tier Two for up to 20 years, and Tier Three for life. Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener, chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, expressed concerns about the bill’s broad scope. Wiener said he would only support the measure and allow it to move forward if it applied exclusively to Tier Three offenders. Soria declined to accept the amendment, and the bill failed. “I’m extremely disappointed and I feel like I’m still trying to process what we just saw,” Soria said after the vote. “I think the fight still continues, I made a promise to my community,” she said. “We’ll continue to make sure it’s loud and clear to ensure no registered sex offender is able to run or get elected in state or local office.” When asked why she refused to accept the committee’s amendments, Soria said all offenses in each tier should disqualify anyone from holding public office. Tier One, for example, includes child molestation and enticing a child to prostitution. Tier Two includes incest and sodomy with a minor. Lawmakers in the same committee advanced a separate bill, AB 2961, which prohibits individuals convicted of felony sex crimes from running for office—but primarily if the victims are adults. The committee watered down the bill, allowing people convicted of felony child sex crimes, such as rape and sodomy, to still run for positions like school board, city council, or state legislature. Democratic San Luis Obispo Assemblymember Dawn Addis who wrote the original version of AB 2961, accepted the changes. “We didn’t want to unintentionally wrap in what’s known as Romeo and Juliet kinds of situations into this elections bill,” Addis said. “That’s really about younger people. You’re dating someone, you turn 18, you’re still dating that person, and there are things that may happen in the criminal justice system. We didn’t want to unintentionally wrap into this bill,” she said. “But I will reemphasize I still think more work needs to be done,” Addis said. The proposal still has a few more steps to go before it reaches the governor’s desk. Addis, who noted her years of work fighting sex abuse and standing up for victims, said some heinous crimes against children are still included in the proposal. She said her office would provide a list to KCRA 3, which had not yet been provided as of Tuesday night. Lawmakers are set to break for summer recess starting Thursday. They will return for one more month of lawmaking, during which they could pass or reject proposals still under consideration.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
Registered sex offenders can continue running for public office in California after a panel of State Senators killed a proposal that would have prohibited them from doing so.
The State Senate’s Elections Committee on Tuesday rejected the proposal, AB 2753, in a 2-1-2 vote. Democratic San Diego State Sen. Sabrina Cervantes and Republican State Sen. Steven Choi voted yes, the committee’s chairman Democratic San Francisco State Sen. Scott Wiener voted no, while Democratic Santa Ana State Sen. Tom Umberg and El Segundo State Sen. Ben Allen abstained from the vote.
Legislative records show the proposal passed the State Assembly unanimously before reaching the State Senate.
Fresno Democratic Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria wrote the proposal after registered sex offender Rene Campos tried to run for Fresno City Council. He pleaded no contest in 2018 to a misdemeanor charge of being in possession to child sex abuse material.
Soria’s proposal aimed to block anyone listed in California’s three-tiered sex offender registration system from running for office. Tier One offenders remain on the registry for up to 10 years, Tier Two for up to 20 years, and Tier Three for life.
Democratic State Senator Scott Wiener, chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, expressed concerns about the bill’s broad scope. Wiener said he would only support the measure and allow it to move forward if it applied exclusively to Tier Three offenders. Soria declined to accept the amendment, and the bill failed.
“I’m extremely disappointed and I feel like I’m still trying to process what we just saw,” Soria said after the vote.
“I think the fight still continues, I made a promise to my community,” she said. “We’ll continue to make sure it’s loud and clear to ensure no registered sex offender is able to run or get elected in state or local office.”
When asked why she refused to accept the committee’s amendments, Soria said all offenses in each tier should disqualify anyone from holding public office. Tier One, for example, includes child molestation and enticing a child to prostitution. Tier Two includes incest and sodomy with a minor.
Lawmakers in the same committee advanced a separate bill, AB 2961, which prohibits individuals convicted of felony sex crimes from running for office—but primarily if the victims are adults. The committee watered down the bill, allowing people convicted of felony child sex crimes, such as rape and sodomy, to still run for positions like school board, city council, or state legislature.
Democratic San Luis Obispo Assemblymember Dawn Addis who wrote the original version of AB 2961, accepted the changes.
“We didn’t want to unintentionally wrap in what’s known as Romeo and Juliet kinds of situations into this elections bill,” Addis said. “That’s really about younger people. You’re dating someone, you turn 18, you’re still dating that person, and there are things that may happen in the criminal justice system. We didn’t want to unintentionally wrap into this bill,” she said.
“But I will reemphasize I still think more work needs to be done,” Addis said. The proposal still has a few more steps to go before it reaches the governor’s desk.
Addis, who noted her years of work fighting sex abuse and standing up for victims, said some heinous crimes against children are still included in the proposal. She said her office would provide a list to KCRA 3, which had not yet been provided as of Tuesday night.
Lawmakers are set to break for summer recess starting Thursday. They will return for one more month of lawmaking, during which they could pass or reject proposals still under consideration.
See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
