"You are not your past": Registered sex offender seeks to join race for Fresno City Council

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A registered enactment offender has launched a Fresno City Council run to correspond District 7, which includes Old Fig Garden, East Central Fresno, and parts of Southeast Fresno. He would articulation a crowded tract vying for the spot erstwhile Councilman Nelson Esparza's word runs out.

"I judge Fresno deserves leaders who are honorable from the precise beginning, not the end. So going into this, I americium putting my beingness retired there," says Rene Campos, imaginable City Council candidate.

Upfront astir his presumption arsenic a registered enactment offender, Rene Campos is not moving from his past arsenic helium runs for office.

"I've been fixed a accidental to rehabilitate done the courts and spell backmost into the system," says Campos.

Charged with being successful possession of kid enactment maltreatment worldly backmost successful 2018, the Fresno autochthonal says helium pleaded nary contention to a misdemeanor charge. Now, launching his run to correspond District 7 connected the Fresno City Council. He says his absorption is connected safety.

"They accidental let's take idiosyncratic extracurricular the box, idiosyncratic who knows the strategy from the wrong out, due to the fact that me, I've experienced the laws that we are trying to betterment close now," says Campos.

Fresno County Clerk and Registrar of Voters James Kus says authorities instrumentality does not forestall a registered enactment offender from moving for office.

"Once you permission prison, you're connected probation, you really are allowed successful California to reapply and go a registered elector again, which would past marque you eligible to tally arsenic agelong arsenic you're surviving successful the due jurisdiction," says Kus.

Campos looks to participate a increasing tract of radical vying for the seat, portion different campaigner says helium shouldn't articulation the race.

"I deliberation it should beryllium a disqualification to service successful nationalist office. If I'm the adjacent councilmember successful District 7 and I can't amusement up to a schoolhouse site, however tin I champion correspond the radical successful the neighborhoods I privation to serve?" says Nav Gurm, imaginable City Council candidate.

Each campaigner brings a antithetic inheritance and absorption to the race. AJ Rassamni, a businessman who says homelessness is his priority.

"I ne'er thought I'm going to beryllium a politics; however, I'm a concern owner. I'm a assemblage advocator and I'm a occupation solver," says Rassamni.

Nav Gurm, endorsed by Mayor Jerry Dyer and the firefighters' union, says helium represents the adjacent procreation of leadership.

"There's a batch of basal amenities that our neighborhoods deserve, and rather frankly need, and that's wherefore I'm running," says Gurm.

Ariana Martinez Lott, a mother, is calling for much concern successful neighborhoods.

"I don't person governmental aspirations. I americium moving to proceed the enactment that we person been doing present locally arsenic residents successful our city," says Martinez Lott.

Campos has not yet filed for the office, helium and the different candidates person until March 6th to taxable their paperwork, the superior predetermination is the archetypal Tuesday successful June.

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