Does Assemblywoman Dawn Addis’ bill exempt pedophiles?

July 4, 2026

Assemblywoman Dawn Addis

By KAREN VELIE

Assemblywoman Dawn Addis’ bill to bar people on the sex offender registry from running for office, with an exemption for some pedophiles, moved forward this week. A similar bill that did not include protections for pedophiles failed in committee.

Current laws prohibit anyone convicted of a felony involving bribery, embezzlement of public money, extortion or theft of public money or perjury to run for office. At the same time, rapists, child molesters and human traffickers are permitted to hold office.

In response to convicted sex offenders running for city councils and school boards, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria (D-Fresno) wrote AB 253, which sought to ban people convicted of sexual assault and sex trafficking from running for office.

On May 7, the Assembly voted 60-0 in favor of AB 2753.

Senator Scott Wiener D-San Francisco, chairman of the Senate Elections Committee, sought to amend the bill to exclude some sex offenders who had sexual contact with a willing minor.

Assemblywoman Soria rejected the changes and on Tuesday AB2753 failed in committee.

A similar bill authored by Assemblywoman Addis, AB 2961, seeks to bar registered sex offenders from running for office, primarily when the victims were adults at the time of the offense.

After the committee amended the bill to exempt some felony child sex crimes including rape and sodomy, Addis approved the changes.

The committee voted on Tuesday to move forward with Addis’ amended AB 2691.

“Right now, a registered sex offender can run for school board in California,” Senator Suzette Valladares (R-Santa Clarita) posted on X. “Then Senate Democrats killed it in committee, and advanced a different bill carving out an exception for people convicted of sex crimes against children. Protecting kids should not be controversial. “