California Senate Blocks Bill to Bar Sex Offenders From Holding Office

A California State Senate Elections Committee voted 2‑1‑2 to reject Assembly Bill 2753, which would have added sex offenses and human trafficking to the list of crimes that disqualify a person from running for public office. Committee chair Senator Scott Wiener voted against the measure, while two Democratic members abstained. The bill had previously passed the Assembly unanimously and was introduced after a registered sex offender sought a Fresno City Council seat. Under current state law, felonies such as bribery, extortion and embezzlement bar candidates, but sex‑related crimes do not.

A separate proposal, Assembly Bill 2961 sponsored by Assemblywoman Dawn Addis, moved forward after the committee amended it to exempt certain child‑sex offenses. Addis’ bill aims to bar registered sex offenders—primarily those whose victims were adults—from seeking office. Both measures failed to change California’s existing eligibility rules, meaning individuals on the sex‑offender registry can still run for positions such as school board or city council.