You’d think a law preventing all sex offenders, especially those who’d committed crimes against children, from serving on school boards would be a good idea. You might even think that banning sex perps from holding other local and political offices would be a smart thing to do, too.

But this story is about California, so throw logic and sanity out the window.

To wit, State Sen. Suzette Valladares (R-23) called on lawmakers to approve proposed amendments to a controversial bill, AB 2691. The law would expand the list of felony convictions on the list of things you can’t have on your résumé to include some sex crimes.

That's all well and good, but after negotiations, the final version was significantly narrowed to primarily include only Tier 3 lifetime registry sex offenders. Valladares and Republicans argued that this leaves a huge loophole that would allow politicians with lower-level Tier 1 and 2 crimes ­— including crimes against minors — on their rap sheet to remain eligible for public office.

In other words, you could have predators sitting on your local school boards.

Recommended
Bad News for Democrats — The SF 49ers Owner's Arrest Video Just Dropped Kyle Becker The GOP's Big Senate Seat Flip Opportunity That Is Flying Under the Radar Sister Toldjah

California Democrats, being California Democrats, shot Valladares and Co. down.

Right now in California, convicted sex offenders can hold public office, including on school boards.

I introduced amendments to AB 2691 that would have banned all convicted sex offenders from holding public office. No tiers. No carve-outs. No exceptions.

On a party-line vote, the majority rejected them, protecting a loophole that lets some convicted sex offenders still serve, including on school boards.

Every Californian deserves to know their local officials aren't convicted predators.

My colleagues had the chance to guarantee that. They chose not to.

Before Tuesday's vote, which will send the measure to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk for signature, Valladares took to the Senate floor to plead with her colleagues for some common sense. Which part of this did the extremist Democrats not understand?

“Right now in California, someone convicted of sexually abusing a child can still sit on your school board. That’s not a loophole. That’s a choice. And in my perspective, and most, that’s wrong,” Valladares, R-Santa Clarita, said on the California Senate floor while urging colleagues to adopt an amendment that Senate Democrats later rejected on a party-line vote, according to her office.

“Predators who sexually abuse children have no place holding public office. 

We're not just talking about minor infractions here either, as Valladares pointed out in a statement on her official website. "Under the current version of AB 2691, individuals convicted of sodomizing, orally copulating, or lewd acts with a minor, would remain eligible to run for and hold public office in California, including on local school boards." 

If you’re familiar with State Sen. Scott Wiener (CA-11), you won’t be surprised to learn that he opposed the amendments, arguing that being on the sex registry shouldn’t be a punishment. What the hell? Of course it should be.

California state Sen. Scott Wiener, the Democratic chair of the committee that considered the bill, argued that a broader prohibition based on all three registry tiers would be overbroad. He said California’s registry had historically included both “sexually violent predator[s]” and others who have committed less serious crimes, citing an example of “a gay guy who had sex in a park or in a car and got arrested.”

“Sex offender registry is not punishment,” Wiener argued. “It is a tool for law enforcement to be able to monitor people who may potentially cause a risk. And when we use the sex offender registry as a proxy for anything else, we get into problems.”

I want a guy sitting on my kids' school board who gets nasty in the public park? No thanks.

What do those who voted against the amendments tell their spouses and kids when they get home? “I really did some solid work today, looking out for the people!”

Every time you think the California legislature has gone full whack, they push the weird “envelope” just a little further.