A bill that would have made California bar registered sex offenders from seeking public office has failed in the state Senate, ending a measure that had sailed through the Assembly without a single no vote.
What the bill would have done
Assembly Bill 2753, by Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria, a Fresno Democrat, would have disqualified anyone required to register as a sex offender under the state's Penal Code from becoming a candidate for, or holding, any state or local elective office, according to the bill text. California law already bars people convicted of certain offenses — such as bribery, perjury and embezzlement of public money — from holding office; the bill would have added sex-offender registrants to that list.
The measure had broad early support, passing the Assembly floor 60-0 in May, ABC30 reported.
Why it stalled
It faltered in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee on June 30, falling short of the votes to advance. State Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat who opposed the bill in its current form, proposed narrowing it to apply only to the highest-risk, lifetime registrants rather than to everyone on the registry, KMPH reported.
A committee analysis raised concerns that the registry has historically swept in people convicted under laws that have since been repealed or reformed — including statutes once used to prosecute gay men — and that a blanket lifetime ban could reach conduct many no longer consider criminal. Civil-liberties advocates also argued that voters, not a categorical statute, should decide who is fit to serve. "A person should not be barred from running," said Janice Bellucci, a civil rights attorney who has challenged sex-offender laws, arguing candidacy "should be a decision made by the voters."
The author holds firm
Soria declined to accept the narrowing amendments, saying she had promised Central Valley constituents a broad ban and was unwilling to weaken it. She said she was "deeply disappointed" by the committee's refusal to advance the full measure. Supporters framed the case simply: people who have committed serious sex offenses should not hold elected office, and many voters had been surprised to learn no such disqualification already existed.
The Fresno case behind it
The bill grew out of a local controversy. Soria introduced it after Rene Campos, a registered sex offender, announced a run for the Fresno City Council; Campos ultimately did not qualify for the ballot. He welcomed the committee's decision, saying the senators had "remembered the Constitution," a nod to arguments that sweeping candidacy bans raise ballot-access questions. Fresno City Council President Nelson Esparza, by contrast, called the vote "a gut punch for our community."
With the legislative calendar advancing, the bill's failure means no statewide ban will be in place for the coming elections. Soria has not said whether she will try again next session, leaving California — like a number of other states that have debated similar measures — without such a law on the books.
