The City of Carson has been charged with fraud and breach of contract due to its failure to significantly revise the city’s sex offender ordinance despite a settlement agreement in which the City promised to do so no later than August 24, 2014. A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on October 1, 2014, requesting that the court require the City revise its ordinance in accordance with the settlement agreement. In addition, a government claim was filed with the City Clerk on the same day requesting monetary damages.…
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Hesperia City Council Modifies Existing Sex Offender Ordinance
In a vote of 4 to 1, the Hesperia City Council approved significant modifications to its sex offender ordinance by reducing both presence and residency restrictions. Specifically, the Council voted to end provisions that prohibited registered citizens from loitering within 500 feet of public places and replaced them with restrictions from being present at schools or public places where children gather. The Council also voted to reduce residency restrictions from 4,000 to 2,000 feet from schools and parks. The new law, when in effect, will be consistent with current state…
Read MoreCity to alter sex offender restrictions
STOCKTON – Seemingly without a say in the matter, and with a lawsuit filed against Stockton, the City Council appears likely tonight to repeal an ordinance that restricts some movements of registered sex offenders in places frequented by children. According to a staff report included in tonight’s meeting agenda, the city has no choice because recent court decisions have decreed that state law on the movement of registered sex offenders preempts local legislation. Full Article Agenda: http://www.stocktongov.com/clerk/granicusagendas/citycouncil/20140729.pdf (p. 52) July 29: Repeal Motion passes 6-1 (Mayor Anthony Silva opposing)
Read MoreWasco Ordinance Challenged in Federal District Court [updated with media links]
The City of Wasco was sued today in federal district court challenging its sex offender ordinance. This lawsuit is the eighth in a series of lawsuits filed during an 8-week period. “Despite a series of letter warnings starting on January 20, the City of Wasco has failed to repeal its sex offender ordinance which violates both the state and federal constitutions,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “The Wasco ordinance denies the constitutionally protected right to public information through its prohibition of visiting the city’s public library. In addition, the…
Read MoreCITY OF CYPRESS AGREES NOT TO ENFORCE RESIDENCY AND PRESENCE RESTRICTIONS
The City of Cypress, located in Orange County, has agreed not to enforce most of its residency restrictions and all of its presence restrictions as terms of two settlement agreements reached on January 31. The City of Cypress also agreed to pay attorney’s fees and costs for the lawsuits filed against them in federal and state courts. In exchange, the plaintiffs in those cases have agreed to dismiss with prejudice the pending lawsuits. “This is a significant victory for the registered citizens and the family members of registered citizens in…
Read MoreEl Dorado County Votes to Repeal Sex Offender Ordinance
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to repeal its sex offender ordinance which prohibited all registered citizens from visiting county recreational areas and the county library. This vote was taken on January 7 in the absence of Supervisor Norma Santiago. A second and final vote on the repeal is scheduled on January 14 and would become effective 30 days later. “The ultimate repeal of the El Dorado County ordinance is a significant victory for more than 100,000 registered citizens and members of their families,” stated CA…
Read MoreCA State Assembly Bill Would Overturn Court Decision, Limit Eligibility to Apply for Certificate of Rehabilitation
A bill has been introduced in the California State Assembly that would, if passed overturn a recent court decision and further limit the number of registered citizens who are eligible to apply for a certificate of rehabilitation. That bill is AB 1438, which was introduced by Assembly Members Eric Linder (Republican, Riverside) on January 6. The California Court of Appeals decided in the case, People v. Tirey, on November 15, 2013, that registered citizens convicted of Penal Code Section 288(a) are eligible to apply for a certificate of rehabilitation. The court’s decision is based…
Read MoreSierra Madre Stops Enforcement of Sex Offender Ordinance
The City of Sierra Madre has agreed to stop enforcement of its sex offender ordinance, which prohibited all registered sex offenders, from residing in most of the city and from being present in child safety zones that included the city’s schools, parks and public library. The Sierra Madre City Council approved this action on December 10 after being sued in federal district court by one of the city’s four registered citizens. The legal challenge was based upon allegations that the city ordinance violated the 1st, 5th and 14th Amendments of the U.S.…
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting – January 11 in San Diego
The first regular CA RSOL meeting of 2014 will be held in San Diego on January 11 at 10 am. As always, the meeting will be open and free of charge to registrants, friends & family and supporters. Media and government officials are not invited in order to ensure all attendee’s privacy. The meeting will cover general topics of interest, as well as specific issues pertinent at meeting time, in addition to offering invaluable opportunities to network with others affected by this issue, as well as activists and professionals. Meeting…
Read MoreManufacturing Fear: Halloween Laws for Sex Offenders
In North Carolina, a sheriff tells parents to check the online sex offender registry before allowing children to trick-or-treat. In Montana, a town offers a “trunk-or-treat” event where kids can get Halloween candy from trunks of cars in a parking lot to avoid potential danger. In New York, “Operation Halloween: Zero Tolerance” prohibits sex offenders from wearing masks or costumes or answering their doors on Halloween, and, as a parole source says, “There is certainly nothing more frightening than the thought of one of these men opening their door to…
Read MoreRestricted Group Speaks Up, Saying Sex Crime Measures Go Too Far
NY Times … A few weeks ago, more than 100 people — sex offenders, almost all of them men, along with wives, girlfriends and mothers — came from around the country to “Justice for All: A Conference to Reform Sexual Offense Laws.” They and others have formed associations and are holding conferences like this one to argue that a wave of legal penalties and restrictions washing across the country has gone too far. They hope to convince judges, lawmakers and the public that indiscriminate laws aimed at all sex offenders are…
Read MoreLawsuit Challenges Sex Offender “No Candy” Halloween Signs (NBC)
An Orange County city will consider a provision in an ordinance that requires sex offenders to post signs outside their homes that indicate they do not have candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters. The Orange City Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the ordinance, which also bans sex offenders from displaying Halloween decorations, opening their doors to children and leaving lights on Halloween night. Part of the ordinance requiring sex offenders to post signs on their front doors that read, “No candy or treats at this residence,” is the subject of…
Read MoreCity of Orange’s Halloween law for sex offenders challenged in court
LA Times – A city law requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign in front of their homes on Halloween to discourage trick-or-treaters is unconstitutional and should be tossed out, a federal lawsuit alleges. Registered sex offenders in the city of Orange are legally required to post a 12-by-24 inch sign reading “no candy or treats at this residence.” Violators face a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws group, alleges that the city violates 1st…
Read MoreRSOL Conference 2013 – Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower: Restorative Justice and Sexual Offenders
Keynote Speaker Clare Ann Ruth-Heffelbower speaks on “Restorative Justice and Sexual Offenders” during the RSOL Conference in Los Angeles last August. More RSOL Conference Workshop / Presentation Videos [hana-flv-player video=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjUDF7isgbM” width=”400″ width=”240″ description=”” player=”5″ autoload=”true” autoplay=”false” loop=”false” autorewind=”true” /]
Read MoreCA RSOL Challenges Halloween Ordinance in U.S. District Court
A lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court challenging the Halloween ordinance adopted by the City of Orange which requires “sex offenders” to post a sign on the front door of their residence. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the city ordinance violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and places “sex offenders” as well as anyone living with a “sex offender” at risk for physical and emotional harm. “The City of Orange is the only city in California that requires registered citizens to post a sign on the…
Read MoreHow a Law Aimed at Sex Offenders Could Feed into the Growing Surveillance State
Last November, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 35, the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Act. Like “tough on crime” anti-trafficking legislation around the country, Proposition 35 was presented as bolstering law enforcement’s ability to fight human trafficking by introducing a bundle of new laws that, most prominently, increased penalties for those convicted of trafficking human labor, made prostitution a sex crime, and with less public attention, created a new requirement for registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreCA RSOL Meetings – September 14 in LA and October 12 in Berkeley
California RSOL is pleased to announce two upcoming monthly meetings for registrants, friends and family in both regions of the Golden State. The Southern California meeting will be held on Saturday, September 14 at the ACLU building at 1313 W. 8th Street in Los Angeles (usual location). CA RSOL will hold a meeting in Northern California on Saturday, October 12, in Oakland / Berkeley. The address is Berkeley Fellowship of Unitarian Universalists, ***1606 Bonita Avenue***, Berkeley, CA 94709. *** Please note: an incorrect address was listed previously for the Berkeley meeting…
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