A California State Senate committee controlled by Democrats has rejected a proposal aimed at preventing registered sex offenders and human traffickers from seeking public office, sparking backlash against its chairman, Democrat Scott Wiener.
On Tuesday, the committee voted 2-1-2 to block bill AB 2753. Republican State Senator Steven Choi and Democrat San Diego State Senator Sabrina Cervantes supported the measure, while Democrat Scott Wiener of San Francisco cast a vote against it. Two other Democrats abstained.
The proposal followed an incident in which a registered sex offender attempted to run for Fresno City Council. Currently, California law disqualifies candidates convicted of felonies such as bribery, extortion, perjury, embezzlement, and conspiracy to commit those offenses but does not ban individuals with sex-related convictions from running for office.
The State Assembly had previously approved the bill unanimously before it was blocked by the committee. Wiener stated that many people enter the sex offender registry for lower-level offenses and he does not believe they should be barred from holding public office.
