Senator Scott Weiner on Sex Offenders
This is potentially a very dangerous road we’re going down to say that minor crimes are going to ban you for life for running for public office. We live in a democracy where people get to run for public office, including people who have a lot of flaws.
Bill AB 2753 Blocked to Ban Sex Offender from Public Office
The bill was introduced after a registered sex offender tried to run for Fresno City Council. In a statement tonight, the bill’s author said in part, quote, “The bottom line is this: I was not willing to make additional amendments to this bill. I made a promise to my community that I would do everything in my power to ensure they would never have to go through something like this again.” Accepting additional amendments to this bill would have jeopardized that promise. Democrats here at the state capitol are divided over whether people convicted of sex offender crimes should be allowed to run for public office.
What Public Positions CAN a Sex Offender Hold
With today’s action, people who are registered sex offenders or people who have been convicted of serious child sex offender crimes can still run for city council, school board, or the state legislature here in California. So the bill killed today, AB 2753, would block anyone that has been registered as a sex offender from running for office.
California Three-Tiered Sex Offender Registration System
- Tier one is up to 10 years on the list.
- Tier two is 20 years
- Tier three is for life
The chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, Democratic State Senator Scott Weiner, was worried about casting a wide net, and would only pass this bill if it only applied to sex offenders in tier three. The lawmaker who wrote this bill, assembly member Esmeralda Soria, refused to take that amendment and the bill died in
