Urgent Legislative Action Alert — 2025–2026 California Legislative Session
Issue Areas: Public Safety · Child Protection
| Author | Asm. Dawn Addis (D) (Assembly District 30) |
| Status | Passed the Assembly. Amended and read a third time in the Senate on August 4, 2026, then ordered to second reading following further amendment. Pending further Senate action. |
| Track It | View full bill text, votes & status on LegiScan |
Our Position: Oppose Current Version — Support Only If Restored
Why This Matters
AB 2691, the Public Trust Protection Act, was introduced with a goal that traditional-values advocates broadly support: barring individuals convicted of certain sex crimes or human trafficking offenses from holding state or local elective office, adding those offenses to the existing list of disqualifying felonies (bribery, embezzlement of public funds, extortion, perjury, and related conspiracy).
Protecting children from predators should never be a partisan issue, and lawmakers of every stripe should be able to unite behind keeping convicted sex offenders and traffickers out of public office. But the version now moving through the Legislature has been quietly weakened to exempt certain offenders who victimized 14-to-17-year-olds, along with other loopholes. A bill that claims to protect the public trust while carving out exceptions for crimes against teenagers does not deserve that name. California families deserve real protection — not a watered-down bill designed to look tough while leaving the door open.
Take Action Now
AB 2691 could reach the Senate floor in its current, weakened form at any time.
- 1Contact your state senator today and urge a NO vote on the current version of AB 2691.
- 2Demand that lawmakers restore full protections with no exemptions for crimes against minors.
- 3Share this alert — most Californians assume this bill already does what its name promises.
Sources: California Legislative Information (leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, Bill AB-2691); LegiScan bill tracking; Antioch Herald / Contra Costa Herald reporting (August 2026). Status current as of August 15, 2026.
