Controversial California City Council Candidate Sparks Outrage with School-Adjacent Campaign Rally

An elementary school in California has lodged a police complaint against a registered sex offender who is currently campaigning for a city council position. This action follows his decision to hold a news conference near the school premises last week while students were present.

Rene Campos, aged 41, a candidate in the Fresno City Council race for District 7, organized a press event on Friday outside a church in Fresno’s downtown area. The location was just a short distance from Big Picture Elementary School, a public charter institution.

Stephanie Hilton, the executive director, and Diana Gonzalez, the superintendent of the school, released a statement condemning Campos’s actions. They described it as a “deeply troubling display of contempt for the law.”

In 2018, Rene Campos entered a no-contest plea to a misdemeanor charge involving the possession of child sexual abuse material, leading to his registration as a sex offender. His recent press conference near the elementary school has sparked significant criticism.

“This incident not only potentially violates the legal restrictions imposed on him as a registered sex offender but also represents a grave breach of the trust and safety that our school community relies on daily,” the statement emphasized.

The school was open, and students were actively present at the time of the event, it said. 

Campos’ candidacy has sparked backlash and renewed questions about whether someone with a criminal record like his should hold public office.

In 2018, he was charged with possession of child sex abuse material, according to court records. Campos has said he pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge and is now a registered sex offender.

In a previous statement to Fox News Digital, Campos, who is running to unseat incumbent Nelson Esparza, said he has met all legal requirements to run for city council. 

“I satisfied every legal obligation imposed under the laws this state enacted for accountability and rehabilitation,” he said.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Campos’ campaign, the school and the Fresno Police Department. 

Campos acknowledged his proximity to the school violated the law during the news conference when asked by reporters. 

The entrance to Fresno City Hall in Fresno, California. The District 7 City Council seat is up for election amid controversy surrounding a registered sex offender candidate. (James Ward, Visalia Times-Delta via Imagn Content Services, LLC)

“I would say, during operational hours, absolutely,” he said, The Fresno Bee reported. “I believe they are closed right now. I don’t see anyone.”

The school said it was open with children visibly entering and exiting the building. 

“The legal restrictions that may be placed on registered sex offenders – particularly those involving proximity to schools – exist for one reason: to protect children,” the school statement said. “They are not obstacles to be rationalized away with political messaging or reframed as symbols of forgiveness.”

Campos reportedly asked the news media to meet him at the church at 3:30 p.m. The elementary school is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, according to the school’s website.

The Diocese of Fresno said Campos “independently and irresponsibly” chose the location of the press conference and used the Catholic church and school as “props in his theater of politics.”

“The Diocese of Fresno has a long-standing history of civic engagement with elected officials and candidates across the political spectrum. Such engagement is rooted in communication, transparency and collegial community collaboration,” the diocese said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “This collaborative approach is clearly not of mind for Mr. Campos.

Rene Campos in a 2018 booking photo related to a child sex abuse material possession case. Campos, now a registered sex offender, has launched a campaign for Fresno City Council. (State of California Department of Justice)

“The Diocese of Fresno wishes to make it abundantly clear that while the Catholic Church has a responsibility to engage with civic leaders, the Church does not endorse Mr. Campos or any other candidate,” it said. 

Under state law, a registered sex offender is allowed to serve on a city council. However, Esparza and fellow Fresno councilmembers Annalisa Perea, Miguel Arias and Nick Richardson said they would pass legislation to limit a registered sex offender’s ability to serve as a city councilmember, the newspaper reported. 

Campos said Friday he chose the church as the location for the press conference because it has been around for hundreds of years and represents rehabilitation and forgiveness.

Hinton said the school filed a police report, shared its concerns with local officials and directed its legal counsel to issue a cease and desist notice to Campos, according to the Bee. 

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