California Senate Committee Rejects Bill to Bar Registered Sex Offenders from Running for Office

On June 30, 2026, the California State Senate Elections Committee voted 2-1-2 to kill AB 2753, a measure that would have prohibited anyone required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code Section 290 from seeking or holding state or local elective office. The bill, authored by Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria (D-Merced), had passed the Assembly earlier in the session with strong support, including a 60-0 vote on third reading. Proponents argued it would restore public trust in elections following high-profile candidacies, such as that of registered sex offender Rene Campos in Fresno, who attempted to qualify for a city council ballot earlier in 2026. Opponents, including committee chair Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), cited concerns over the bill's broad scope, which applied to all registrants regardless of offense severity, registration duration, or rehabilitation. Existing California law already bars candidates convicted of certain public corruption felonies, but does not extend similar restrictions to sex offenses. The rejection leaves registered sex offenders eligible to run, intensifying debates over balancing public safety, electoral access, and constitutional protections for candidacy. Related legislation targeting narrower categories of serious child sex crimes also stalled. The Fresno case highlighted local controversies, with Campos failing to gather sufficient signatures, yet the broader policy debate persists across California localities.