Candidate hopeful Rene Campos, a registered sex offender who was convicted of possession of child sex abuse material in 2018, finds himself at the center of yet another legislative push for stricter laws.<\/p>\n
Tuesday, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria of Merced introduced a bill that would block registered sex offenders from running or holding any local or state public office.<\/p>\n
“It was very disturbing to hear the news that we would have in the City of Fresno, the fifth largest city in the State of California, have a sex offender, a registered sex offender, serve in the city council,” says Assemblywoman Soria.<\/p>\n
Currently, state law does not prohibit registrants from running for council. But, State Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria announced AB 2753, a law that would bar registered sex offenders from running for or holding any local or state office.<\/p>\n
RELATED: ‘You are not your past’: Registered sex offender seeks to join race for Fresno City Council<\/a><\/p>\n “I don’t think that it gets any more egregious when you’re convicted of a sex crime dealing with kids. I believe that we should have zero tolerance when it comes to protecting our children,” says Assemblywoman Soria.<\/p>\n Soria tells Action News her proposal has already gained bipartisan support.<\/p>\n One non-profit, The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, is calling the move unconstitutional.<\/p>\n “A lot of laws get introduced that are based on misinformation, not the facts. This appears to be another one of those laws,” says Janice Bellucci, Executive Director, ACSOL.<\/p>\n We spoke with Janice Bellucci, a lawyer and the executive director of the alliance. She says she’s filed at least 100 lawsuits challenging laws against sex offenders, including one recently in Fresno County.<\/p>\n Now, she’s threatening to file new lawsuits on behalf of Campos against the city and state.<\/p>\n “Most people who have been convicted of a sex offense are, in fact, at least there’s a possibility of rehabilitation because they are required to go to counseling. Most people on the registry have completed treatment and are, in fact, safe to reenter society,” says Bellucci.<\/p>\n This comes as uproar continues after Campos held a press conference in front of a St. John’s Catholic Church just across from Big Picture Academy charter school, while children were present.<\/p>\n RELATED: Fresno school reacts to registered sex-offender Rene Campos hosting press conference near campus<\/a><\/p>\n The Diocese of Fresno, in a statement, says it strongly condemned Campos’ decision to “irresponsibly choose the location,” using it “as a prop in his theater of politics.”<\/p>\n The school alleges Campos was “absolutely” in violation of the law and says they are “actively pursuing every legal measure.”<\/p>\n As of Tuesday evening, Campos has not officially filed to have his name on the ballot. He has until this Friday to do so.<\/p>\n Soria says her law still needs to go through the assembly and senate before it makes its way to the governor’s desk for signature.<\/p>\n For news and weather updates, follow Brisa Col\u00f3n on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n