Elective office: sex offenders.

A person who has ever been required to register as a sex offender under Penal Code Section 290 is now prohibited from being a candidate for, or elected to, any state or local elective office. This is added as a new disqualification alongside the existing felony-based bar (bribery, embezzlement of public money, extortion, theft of public money, perjury, or conspiracy to commit those crimes).

A definition of 'conviction of a felony' is included for purposes of the Elections Code amendment, clarifying that it covers convictions in California, other states, the United States, or foreign governments where the conduct would be a felony in California, unless pardoned by the appropriate authority.

The bill's scope expanded from a single declaratory statement of legislative intent regarding rural parks to an operative amendment of the Elections Code covering sex offender disqualification from elective office, plus the original parks intent statement.