A Kern County judge has recommended that Governor Jerry Brown grant a full pardon to a man running for mayor of Bakersfield.

T.J. Esposito was arrested over a decade ago for assault with a deadly weapon and other felonies, but says the decision Tuesday shows he has turned his life around. Esposito works in marketing for his wife’s bail bonds company.

Esposito says he has been working on a getting a pardon for 10 years, long before he decided to run for mayor. His criminal record was expunged six months ago, which means his not guilty pleas were withdrawn because he completed probation and stayed on the right side of the law for several years.

Kelli Forsch