Fresno school files report after sex offender’s press event

Officials at a Fresno elementary school filed a police report against City Council candidate Rene Campos, a registered sex offender, for holding a news conference across the street from the school.

Campos held a press conference with reporters outside Saint John’s Cathedral in downtown Fresno on Friday afternoon, which is across the street from the campus of Big Picture Educational Academy, a public charter school serving students in grades K-8.

Stephanie Hilton, the school’s executive director, and Diana Gonzalez, its superintendent, criticized Campos in a statement and said his decision to hold a news conference near the school showed a “deeply troubling” display of contempt for the law and the safety of children.

“This was not only a potential violation of the legal restrictions placed upon him as a registered sex offender, but a profound breach of the trust and safety our school community depends on every single day,” the statement said.

In 2021, Campos, 41, pleaded no contest to a 2018 misdemeanor charge of possession of child pornography and served two years of formal probation.

Fresno City Council candidate and registered sex offender, Rene Campos, called for a media appearance one day after local leaders said they plan to work on future legislation that would limit a registered sex offender’s ability to be a councilmember. Liliana Fannin

Reporters asked Campos at his Friday news conference if his proximity to the school violated the law.

“I would say, during operational hours, absolutely,” Campos said. “I believe they are closed right now. I don’t see anyone.”

Campos asked reporters to meet him at the church at 3:30 p.m., and arrived around 3:45 p.m.

Big Picture Educational Academy is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the school’s website.

Hinton told The Bee in an email that the school provides an “expanded learning program” after school until 6 p.m. on weekdays. She said it’s an after-school program that typically includes homework help, academic support and enrichment activities.

“Our students were on campus actively participating in these activities and were seen entering/leaving the campus at the time of the press event,” she said.

Campos called the press conference on Friday in response to Fresno council members’ plan to block him from serving on the council.

Councilmembers Annalisa Perea, Miguel Arias, Nelson Esparza and Nick Richardson said they would pass legislation tolimit a registered sex offender’s ability to serve as a city councilmember, which is currently allowed under state law.

Campos told reporters he felt personally attacked by the council members and described their proposal as “institutional overreach.”

Perea said she is “deeply troubled” by Campos’s decision to host a press event near an active elementary school campus.

“Leadership requires sound judgment, respect for the law, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our community. When someone seeking office demonstrates the opposite, we have a duty to speak out with a clear message: those who have committed serious offenses against our children and continue to disregard legal boundaries should not be placed in positions of public authority,” she said in the statement.

Campos said Friday he chose the church as the location for the press conference because it has been around for hundreds of years and represents rehabilitation and forgiveness.

Neither the Diocese of Fresno nor St. John’s Cathedral received prior notice of the press conference. They were critical of Campos’s location choice in a statement.

“Mr. Campos independently and irresponsibly chose the location for the press conference and used the Catholic Church and the School as props in his theater of politics,” their statement said.

Hinton said that as soon as the school learned of Campos’s news conference near the school, they filed a police report, shared their concerns with local officials and directed its legal counsel to issue a cease and desist notice to Campos.

Campos did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the school’s legal actions and response to his news conference. He is running in the crowded District 7 race in the June primary election.

This story was originally published March 3, 2026 at 1:19 PM.

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