Sex offender moves to make city council run official — but hasn’t gotten the required 20 signatures to make the ballot

The registered sex offender who launched a long-shot bid for Fresno City Council moved to make his controversial run for office official on Friday — despite sparking widespread outrage because of his twisted past.

Rene Campos took the oath of office and requested his candidacy paperwork for a place on the ballot for District 7, Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus told The California Post.

However, Campos had yet to turn in the 20 signatures needed to officially get on the ballot as of late afternoon.

The sex offender released a statement that he took the oath, but he did not comment on the signatures.

“For transparency, I’ve completed the oath and am finishing the remaining paperwork now to place my name on the ballot. Thank you,” the statement to KMPH read.

Kus clarified that every candidate must take the oath of office first as a part of the nomination filing.

In a second statement, Campos bizarrely invoked the Constitution to justify his controversial run.

“I took the oath today, and it was a powerful moment. That oath is not about a headline or a label — it’s about the Constitution and the promise that in this country we don’t decide who belongs and who doesn’t,” the statement read.

“If I’m ever entrusted with office, I will uphold that oath with everything in me. Because the Constitution isn’t meant to protect the popular — it’s meant to protect everyone. Today, it may be me. Tomorrow it could be you. And yesterday, it was someone else. That’s exactly why that oath matters.”

Reports suggested Friday that Campos had also officially filed the papers; however, the county clerk’s office told The Post that Campos “had not filed any candidate documents with my office.”

“Mr. Campos was in my office this morning, so the reports will reflect that he pulled candidate nomination materials in tonight’s report,” Kus said.

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Kus said that it would be announced over the weekend if the candidate also reached the required number of signatures to officially be named on the ballot.

“To the best of my knowledge, Mr. Campos has not turned in any nomination signatures at this time. He has until 5 p.m. today to bring in 20 valid signatures from Fresno City Council District 7 registered voters.

“Due to the lateness of the hour, if Mr. Campos returns signatures today, they may not be indicated in our report this evening, but will be indicated over the weekend.”

Last month, the registered sex offender announced plans to run for the seat. He pleaded with voters to overlook his pervy past, which includes being charged with possession of child sex abuse material.

On his website, he promises to “target repeat crime areas with coordinated police, mental health, and city response teams.”

“I believe Fresno deserves leaders who are honest from the very beginning, not the end. Going into this, I am putting my life out there,” Campos previously told ABC 30.

“I’ve been given a chance to rehabilitate through the courts and go back into the system,” he said.

“They say let’s choose somebody outside the box, somebody who knows the system from the inside out, because I’ve experienced the laws that we are trying to reform right now.”

The move sparked outrage in the city, with his rivals demanding that he be banned — while pointing out he would never be able to visit a school if he wins.

Nav Gurm, a small business owner and attorney who is also running for District 7, told the California Post that his dark past should “be a disqualification to serve in public office.” 

Several members of the Fresno City Council have said they would support a local ordinance to ban any registered sex offenders from serving in response.

California Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria said she will amend AB 2753 to include language prohibiting any registered sex offender in the State of California from running for local or state public office.

There is currently no law in the state that prohibits registered sex offenders from running for any local or state public office.

A left-wing activist group of lawyers, meanwhile, stepped up to defend Campos’ right to run.

Attorney Janice Bellucci, executive director for the Sacramento-based non-profit Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws Inc.(ACSCOL) said her group is willing to fight for Campos because they believe if action is taken against him it would violate the state constitution.

“We are here as an organization to support people like him who’re required to register and whose rights could be violated,” Bellucci told The California Post.

“We believe he has the right to run for city council and our mission is in fact to protect the rights for him to run.

“When it comes to people who have been convicted of their offense and they have paid their debt to society by going to jail or prison by completing their treatment and therefore they do not pose a current risk of reoffense,” she added.  “And therefore they do not currently pose a danger to anyone.”

Last week, an elementary school in Fresno filed a police report after Campos held a press conference just steps away from the grounds.

Until 2015, under Jessica’s Law, California prohibited registered sex offenders from living within 2,000ft of any school or park in the state.

Fresno Councilmember Annalisa Perea said she was “deeply troubled” by Campos’s decision.

“Leadership requires sound judgment, respect for the law, and an unwavering commitment to protecting our community. When someone seeking office demonstrates the opposite, we have a duty to speak out with a clear message: those who have committed serious offenses against our children and continue to disregard legal boundaries should not be placed in positions of public authority,” Perea told the Fresno Bee.

The election will take place on June 2.