California Senate Democrats Reject Ban on Tier 1 and 2 Child Sex Offenders in Public Office
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 26
California Senate Democrats Reject Ban on Tier 1 and 2 Child Sex Offenders in Public Office
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 26
Summary
A party-line California Senate vote blocked Sen. Suzette Valladares’ amendment to AB 2691, leaving some people convicted of sex crimes against minors eligible to run for offices including school-board seats.
AB 2691 now bars only sexual-assault convictions that trigger lifetime Tier 3 sex-offender registration, while Tier 1 and Tier 2 offenders can remain eligible despite registry terms of at least 10 or 20 years.
Scott Wiener, the Democratic committee chair, said using all three registry tiers as a blanket disqualification would be overbroad because California’s registry includes offenders tied to less serious crimes as well as sexually violent predators.
Valladares called the narrowed bill a loophole created by summer amendments, while author Dawn Addis defended it as a first-in-the-nation measure and said she was open to discussing additional crimes later.