Fresno City Leaders are moving forward with plans for an ordinance that would bar a potential council candidate, who is a registered sex offender, from being able to enter various city facilities.
That candidate is now pushing back.
“The constitution does not grant government the authority to pre-select who is worthy of democracy. Voters decide, not councils, not rhetoric, not fear,” says Rene Campos, District 7 Fresno City Council Potential Candidate.
Campos says he is not backing away from the race for Fresno City Council.
RELATED: ‘You are not your past’: Registered sex offender seeks to join race for Fresno City Council
The potential candidate is calling out the city for what he describes as an institutional overreach. This, after councilmembers threaten to create legislation that would bar him from effectively doing his job if elected.
“We’re not going to allow our city to be represented by sex offenders. We have limits around state law that we can’t control, but there is a lot of control that we do have locally,” says Miguel Arias, Fresno City Councilman.
Registered sex offenders are typically prohibited from areas where children gather like schools, parks, daycares, and more.
Council Member Miguel Arias says the city intends to extend those restrictions with an ordinance that would bar any registered sex offender from city facilities like council chambers, community centers, police and fire stations.
“We have plenty of broad authority and ability to limit access,” says Arias.
Arias tells Action News that they have already sent their directive to the Fresno city attorney.
On his campaign website, Campos has a video of him next to kids who appear to be AI-generated.
Arias says that being around children is part of the job. He asked us to meet him outside of Broadway Parque, a project he helped complete, to prove that point.
“Fundamentally in my view, it would be impossible for anyone who is a registered sex offender to be an effective council member,” says Arias.
But Campos says he’s being wrongfully targeted and painted as someone to fear.
“I’ve accepted responsibility for my past. I’ve completed every requirement the court imposed. The sentence was served. In America, rehabilitation is not a slogan. It has a legal principle,” says Campos.
Campos says he is not ruling out taking legal action against the city. Arias says bring it on.
“In this case, I believe the taxpayers of Fresno and the residents of Fresno would overwhelmingly support the City of Fresno being sued to ensure that a registered sex offender does not have such a huge position of power and authority,” says Arias.
At this point, Campos has not officially filed his candidacy, he has a week left.
Arias tells Action News, the council plans to have this ordinance in effect before the primary election set for June.
Action News did interview several of the other candidates earlier this week; you can find more information about them here.
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