Sex offender stages showdown at Fresno city hall, demands right to run for office

A registered sex offender ignited fury at Fresno City Hall Thursday after showing up to rail against new rules that could shut him — and others like him — out of local government for good.

Rene Campos, whose brief City Council run fizzled after he failed to gather the 20 signatures needed to make the ballot, insisted he’s being unfairly targeted and begged officials not to block registered sex offenders from attending meetings or running for office.

Campos, 41, has been on California’s sex offender registry since his 2018 arrest for possession of child pornography. He later pleaded no contest in 2021 and was sentenced to two years of formal probation — a conviction that keeps him listed under Megan’s Law.

Still, Campos has owned up to his past in interviews, claiming he’s moved on — even as critics say his record should disqualify him from any public role.

“My campaign is over, but I still see the bullying,” Campos said Thursday during testimony at City Hall. “The only thing I have done in my life is help everyone and anyone that comes around me.”

The firestorm first erupted when Campos staged a campaign press conference near a local school — a move that drew police and rattled nearby residents.

City leaders didn’t wait long to act.

In a unanimous 7-0 vote Thursday, the Fresno City Council approved a measure banning registered sex offenders from attending council meetings in person. The rule also directs the City Attorney to look into using facial recognition technology to enforce the restriction.

Councilmembers pointed to safety concerns, especially in public spaces where children are often present.

But the crackdown may not stop there.

Officials, including Annalisa Perea and Nick Richardson, are now weighing additional local laws to block registered sex offenders from running for — or holding — office altogether, noting current California law doesn’t prohibit it.

Meanwhile, at the state level, Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria is pushing to amend AB 2753 to bar registered sex offenders from public office statewide — a proposal sparked in part by Campos’ failed bid.

Despite the mounting backlash and tightening restrictions, Campos showed no signs of backing down, returning to City Hall to protest the very rules aimed at keeping him out.

But with new laws looming both locally and statewide, his political ambitions now appear dead on arrival.

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