I will not stop fighting until every sex offender is barred from holding public office in California’ said Sen. Valladares
A bill to keep convicted sex offenders from holding public office made it through the Assembly 67 to 0 in early July.
Then it went over to the Senate, with a stop in the Senate Elections Committee, chaired by Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), and came out grossly amended. The Globe reported June 30th:
AB 2691 by Assemblywoman Dawn Addis (D-San Luis Obispo) prohibits persons convicted of “sexual assault” and “human trafficking” from running for any state or local elective office in California. It’s a good bill, with good intent… or was.
Recent amendments made on June 24, 2026, added in exemptions for pedophile adults who target children for sex.
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Sen. Steven Choi (R-Irvine) was the only NO vote in Senate Elections. He explained:
“The recent amendments of this bill added an exemption to allow adults convicted of molesting children to be eligible to run for public office,” said Sen. Choi. “Before being amended, AB 2691 would have prohibited child groomers and pedophiles from being eligible to run. I questioned the author at the hearing why we would give these monsters an exemption and she couldn’t explain. That’s unacceptable.”
California Family Council provides details:
“AB 2691, authored by Assemblywoman Dawn Addis, is called the Public Trust Protection Act. It would disqualify people convicted of felony sexual assault or human trafficking from running for or holding state or local elected office. California Family Council supports that idea. The problem is what got added on June 24.”
The bill defines “sexual assault” to include crimes like rape, sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration. But a new exception carves out three of those crimes when they are committed against a minor age 14 to 17: felony sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration, including cases where the perpetrator is over 21 and the victim is 14 or 15. Committed against an adult, or against a child under 14, those crimes count as sexual assault and bar someone from office. Committed against a 14-to-17-year-old, they don’t.
In plain terms: a person convicted of felony sexual assault against an adult, or against a child under 14, would be barred from public office under this bill. A person convicted of the same acts against a 14-to-17-year-old would not be.
These are the exemptions from the definition of sexual assault the following crimes:
1. Penal Code §286(b) (sodomy on a minor)
2. Penal Code §287 (b) (oral copulation on a minor)
3. Penal Code §897(h) +(i) (sexual penetration on a minor)
With all of the new exemptions involving minors, claiming that these sex crimes are not felonies is flagrant.
The sex acts against minors – children – are universally held as heinous and indefensible.
If any of this is ringing a bell, Sen. Wiener, in 2019, authored Senate Bill 145 which at the time of its introduction would allow a sex offender who lures a minor with the intent to commit a felony sex act, the ability to escape registering as a sex offender as long as the offender is within 10 years of age of the minor.As we reported in 2020, SB 145 allows a 24 year old to have sex with a 14 year old, relaxing the penalties for having “non-forcible sodomy, oral copulation, and sexual penetration with a minor.”
Governor Gavin Newsom signed Wiener’s SB 145 in 2020. The Globe reported: “Gov. Newsom Signs Bill to Protect Sex Offenders Who Have Homosexual Sex with Minors,” asking, “How can this bill be legal when California’s age of consent is still 18?”
Senator Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) weighed in on the exemptions for child-sex offenses for candidates at the June Senate Elections hearing, stating:
Right now, a registered sex offender can run for school board in California. Nothing in state law stops them. A bill to fix that, AB 2753, passed the Assembly 60-0.
Then Senate Democrats killed it in committee, and advanced a different bill carving out an exception for people convicted of sex crimes against children. This already almost happened. A registered sex offender tried to run for Fresno City Council this year.
Protecting kids should not be controversial.
Parents and voters deserve better.
Senator Valladares on Tuesday called on the California Senate to restore the bill language that would ban dangerous criminals, including convicted sex offenders, from holding public office in California.
She called on her colleagues to accept her amendments to AB 2691, which would have closed a loophole in the bill allowing convicted sex offenders, including people convicted of crimes against children, to hold public office, including serving on school boards in California.
Have to laugh – look at who’s behind this travesty – my oh my, has Weiner’s prints all over it!!!! Come on guys – get real!!! We PAY YOU TO MAKE GOOD LAWS AND TO HAVE SOME COMMON DECENCY!!!!!
Would any sane person think this is not a get out of jail free card?
Love to see what Sen. Pro-tem Limon has to say about this.
Well let’s see, we have a pedofile and convicted felon as POTUS and you guys are crying about this? You MAGAts are morons.