Fresno City Council candidate Rene Campos, a registered child sex offender, held a news conference Friday afternoon across the street from Big Picture Elementary School.

Campos said that he chose the location, which also near St. John’s Cathedral, because it symbolized forgiveness.

He said there are restrictions about how close he can be to a school.

When asked by GV Wire if his presence that close to the school would be against the law, he said, “Absolutely, but I believe they are closed right now.”

A call to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno, which leases the building to the charter school, confirmed that the school was operational. GV Wire witnessed multiple children walking in and out of the building.

Campos Says He Should Be Able to Run

The reason for the news conference?

Campos said that he will file paperwork to run for the District 7 seat in coming days. The area is now represented by Nelson Esparza, who terms out at the end of the year.

His candidacy has struck a nerve in Fresno and beyond.

On Thursday, five councilmembers said they would back an ordinance banning registered registered child sex offenders from holding a city of Fresno office.

However, if such a ordinance were adopted, it likely would face a legal challenge, according to Sacramento-based attorney Janice Bellucci.

On Friday, Campos was noncommittal about a legal challenge, but said that in his view the ordinance would violate the First Amendment.