California lawmakers clashed Tuesday in the Senate Elections and Constitutional Amendments Committee over two bills that would bar some sex offenders from public office, as Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria’s broader AB 2753 stalled after Chairman Scott Wiener opposed it while Assemblywoman Dawn Addis’ narrower AB 2691 moved forward, according to Capitol correspondent Ashley Zavala’s live reporting and official bill documents.
“The committee may question whether such a broad disqualification is appropriate,” the official Senate analysis of Soria’s bill said.
Soria’s bill would amend the Elections Code to bar a person from becoming a candidate or being elected to state or local office if that person had “ever been required to register as a sex offender.”
The committee analysis summarized Soria’s argument that state law already bans some public-corruption felons from office but does not cover registered sex offenders.
“Current law has no restriction on registered sex offenders running for or holding elected positions,” the analysis said.
Wiener pushed amendments that would limit AB 2753 to Tier 3 registrants, who are required to register for life. California’s tiered system requires adult registrants to register for 10 years under Tier 1, 20 years under Tier 2 and life under Tier 3, according to the committee analysis.
Wiener said he would recommend a “no” vote after Soria declined the amendment, according to Zavala’s reporting. He argued the registry has been broken and said it was intended as a law-enforcement monitoring tool for people who could pose a risk.
AB 2753 had support from the cities of Fresno and Calimesa, while the League of Women Voters of California and Smart Justice California opposed it, according to the Senate analysis.
The Fresno City Council argued the bill would create a statewide public-office standard.
“AB 2753 establishes a clear, consistent, and necessary standard across California,” the analysis quoted the city as saying.
The same committee then took up AB 2691, Addis’ bill to prohibit candidates convicted of specified felony sexual assault or human trafficking from running for or being elected to state or local office. The bill text defined “sexual assault” through several Penal Code sections but excluded specified subdivisions of Sections 286, 287 and 289.
Addis accepted an amendment related to child sex crimes, according to Zavala, and defended the proposal during the hearing.
“At the moment I feel like we have a really important bill that is nation leading and will uplift survivors,” Addis said, according to Zavala.
The Senate analysis said Addis framed elected office as a position of authority.
“Elected office is a privileged position,” the analysis said.
Wiener backed AB 2691 and rejected criticism of the narrower bill, saying opponents’ reaction was “pure politics and pure political cynicism,” according to Zavala.
Zavala reported AB 2691 received yes votes from Wiener, Sabrina Cervantes, Ben Allen and Tom Umberg, with Republican Sen. Steven Choi voting no. AB 2753 received yes votes from Choi and Cervantes, a no from Wiener, with Allen not voting and Umberg declining to vote, according to Zavala. The five-member committee is chaired by Wiener and includes Choi, Allen, Cervantes and Umberg
