A registered sex offender who is running for the Fresno City Council sparked fury last week after he appeared at a press conference near a local elementary school. Now, city leaders are considering banning sex offenders from running for public office in the first place.
In 2018, Rene Campos pleaded no contest to possession of child pornography and was forced to register as a sex offender. Today, he is running for Fresno’s 7th Council District — on a public safety platform.
On Friday, Campos spoke to media outlets while standing across the street from Big Picture Educational Academy. That prompted a response from the school.
“We want to be very clear — our school had absolutely nothing to do with this. Mr. Campos’s decision to show up near our campus was entirely his own, and it was not welcomed, invited, or affiliated with Big Picture Educational Academy in any way,” the school said in a statement.
“We are actively pursuing every available legal measure to safeguard our students and ensure that Mr. Campos does not cross any legal lines that exist to protect our students. Our school and our students are not props in political theater; the safety and well-being of our children is not a political issue — it is our highest obligation, and we will defend it without hesitation.”
There is no state law preventing sex offenders from serving in public office, but that could soon change at the local level. Fresno leaders are expected to introduce an ordinance that would bar sex offenders from holding or running for public office.