CA: Issa Introduces Federal Bill to Stop Placement of Convicted Sex Predators in Residential Areas

Source: timesofsandiego.com 11/10/23 Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Fallbrook, introduced legislation Friday intended to prevent the placement of sexually violent predators in residential communities. At a press conference in Poway on Friday, Issa introduced The Stopping Sexually Violent Predators Act, which would end federal funding for SVPs outside correctional or medical facilities and require states to report all SVPs to the federal Department of Justice for review of potential federal charges. “In California, Governor Newsom has made our communities less safe by essentially compelling communities to accept the relocation of dozens of…

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CA: Riverside “cracking down” on registrants; “not supposed to be handing out candy on Halloween”

Source: ktla.com 10/31/23 In an effort to protect children, actively monitoring registered sex offenders is what a certain group of dogs are specially trained for. These aren’t just regular dogs. These K9s — named Chewie and Solo — are professionally trained to catch predators as part of their full-time job with the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team. Chewie and Solo are electronic scent detection dogs that can sniff out a variety of devices and tech that may hold potential evidence police may need. They work as part of a task…

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CA: Trial Date Set for Case Involving Attempted Offenses

Source: ACSOL A trial date has been set in a pending case that challenges the tiering of individuals convicted of an attempted offense.  The date for the bench trial (no jury) is March 25, 2024.  The trial will be held in Los Angeles Superior Court, Department 76, starting at 8:30 a.m. and is expected to last no longer than one day.   The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) is currently assigning individuals convicted of an attempted offense to the same tier as individuals completed of a completed offense.  As a…

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CA: Still many unknowns surrounding placement of sexually violent predator William Stephenson

Source: kcra.com 10/17/23 Placer County hosted a housing committee meeting Tuesday to inform the community about the release of William Stephenson, a man classified as a sexually violent predator. The Department of State Hospitals, along with Liberty Healthcare, which has been contracted out by the state to facilitate placement services, hosted the meeting which was attended by the public at the Placer County Community Development Agency building, and virtually, for people who couldn’t attend in person. According to the Placer County District Attorney, the Superior Court judge overseeing the case…

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CA: Lake County Probation Department hosts Resilient Re-entry event

Source: lakeconews.com 10/7/23 LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Probation Department, in collaboration with the Lake County Campus of Woodland Community College, hosted a Resilient Re-entry event designed to provide valuable resources and guidance to justice-involved individuals. The event aimed to facilitate the reintegration of justice-involved individuals into society by offering a range of services, including record expungement, information about college education opportunities, and even free tattoo removal services. Additionally, attendees had the valuable opportunity to learn from inspirational keynote speakers who have successfully transitioned from incarceration to leading…

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CA: Large Online Retailer Settles Suit for FCRA Violation

Source: pre-employ.com An online retailer recently announced it reached an agreement in a California federal court. This agreement ends a lawsuit with a former associate. According to the case, the associate accused the retailer of illegally using information about a past conviction to deny him a full-time job. The online retailer did not detail the terms of the agreement. However, it did file a notice stating that it had agreed to settle the lawsuit under the California Fair Chance Act (FCA). The FCA first took effect in January 2018, intending…

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CA: Gavin Newsom Can Sign a Bill to End Price-Gouging in California Prisons

Source: theappeal.org 9/18/23 California prison canteens currently sell essential items—such as snacks and medication—at a markup of between 65 and 200 percent.   With just one signature, California Governor Gavin Newsom can significantly curtail the state’s long-standing practice of price-gouging imprisoned people for vital items like toothbrushes or deodorant. Last week, the Basic Affordable Supplies for Incarcerated Californians Act, or the BASIC Act, overwhelmingly passed the state Senate and Assembly. The bill is now with the governor, who has until October 14 to sign it. If signed into law, the…

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CA: Neighborhood council collapses after new member is suspected of being a registered sex offender

Source: ktla.com 9/12/23 LOS ANGELES – Studio City’s neighborhood council has imploded after members found out that they may have voted in a convicted sex offender – even after they alerted Los Angeles city leaders, KTLA has learned.  Ian Mitchell King, a self-described a “non-practicing lawyer” and business consultant, joined the council in mid-August.  At the time, he told councilmembers that he had served in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy.  What council members did not yet know, however, is that there is an individual who is listed on…

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TX: FBI sting for an ‘experienced sadist’ who would be paid $6,000 to ‘break’ a young woman

Source: dailymail.co.uk 9/11/23 The California sommelier found guilty of flying to Texas to ‘break’ a young woman for sex work was living with a married couple and engaged in a three-way relationship where he’d openly sleep with and torment the man’s wife, sources tell DailyMail.com. The 37-year-old married mother Ian Justin Ranney, 35, had been living with was too traumatized to discuss her own relationship with the now-convicted felon. ‘I have a family and I’m not interested in dredging anything more up,’ she told DailyMail.com. DailyMail.com can also reveal that Ranney,…

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CA: Still no housing option for convicted sex offender Michael Cheek following state committee meeting

Source: lookout.co 9/8/23 Michael Cheek’s release remains in limbo as a state-mandate committee did not identify any viable housing options for him at its Thursday meeting. Cheek is due back in court Tuesday, when Liberty Healthcare Corporation — the state contractor trying to find him a home — is expected to bring more options. A state-mandated committee tasked with consulting on where convicted sex offender Michael Cheek should live in Santa Cruz County did not identify any viable housing options at its meeting on Thursday, prolonging a process that has…

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CA: Danny Masterson sentenced to 30 years to life in prison

Source: nbcnews.com 9/7/23 [ACSOL note: This case is significant due to lengthy sentence.] LOS ANGELES — “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson was sentenced Thursday to 30 years to life in prison for raping two women more than two decades ago at his Hollywood Hills home. Masterson, 47, displayed no visible emotion after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Charlaine Olmedo threw the book at him. “Mr. Masterson, I know that you’re sitting here steadfast in your claims of innocence, and thus no doubt feeling victimized by a justice system that…

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CA: Elk Grove will (of course) exclude people who have committed sex offenses from their homeless shelter

Source: msn.com 9/6/23 Elk Grove plans to open a temporary winter shelter for the city’s unhoused, starting later this year and lasting for five months. Officials on Tuesday announced the plan for the vacant Rite Aid drug store at Elk Grove Boulevard and Waterman Road. The city-owned site would open Nov. 1 through March 31, officials said. Dubbed an “Enhanced Winter Sanctuary,” the site will be able to house up to 30 people and will provide opportunities for people to access social services, resources and housing, said Elk Grove housing…

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ACSOL Demands Removal of Registrants from CA Megan’s Law Website

ACSOL demanded today that the California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) remove from the state’s Megan’s Law website the profiles of every individual that lack two important pieces of information — year of conviction and year of release. The demand was sent to Attorney General Rob Bonta, who leads that agency, by email and U.S. mail. “We believe that the California Megan’s Law website is in violation of state law which requires that profiles on that website include the year in which a person was convicted as well as the…

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Please Join ACSOL in Placer County Protest on September 1

The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will protest ongoing efforts by Placer County, California, to block the release of a registrant in that county.  The protest will be held on September 1 at 7:30 a.m. in front of Placer County Superior Court, 10820 Justice Center Drive, in Roseville, CA.  The protest will move inside the court to Department 23, if possible, where the District Attorney has scheduled a meeting of those who support the county’s efforts. “We must take a stand on the important issue of where a…

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CA: Placer County officials push back on transient release of sexually violent predator

Source: kcra.com 8/21/23 Placer County and state leaders on Monday heard from people worried about the release and relocation of 66-year-old William ________, a sexually violent predator (SVP). County leaders spoke after the Department of State Hospitals (DSH) and Liberty Health Care held a meeting to talk about possible locations to place ________. He’s the man set to be released as a transient in the county, meaning he’ll live without a permanent address. While this doesn’t mean he gets dropped off at a bus stop, concerned officials are fighting the…

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CA: School District Warned Regarding Support for Residency Restrictions

The Lakeside Union School District (LUSD), located in San Diego county, was warned in a letter sent yesterday of the dangers it would face if it chooses to support residency restrictions.  Local parents and other residents of Lakeside, California, recently demanded that LUSD support residency restrictions due to their concerns about registrants who live near local schools. “Once again, the public is reacting out of fear and ignoring the facts regarding registrants,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.  “Their fear is based upon the mistaken belief that all registrants pose…

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CA Department of Justice Assigns Tiers to 9,000 Additional Registrants

The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) has assigned tiers to more than 9,000 individuals required to register during the past seven months.  As a result, there are up to 9,000 additional registrants who are now eligible to petition for removal from the registry.   ACSOL filed a lawsuit on January 5, 2023, in Sacramento Superior Court requesting that the court order CA DOJ to assign all individuals required to register to a tier.  At the time the case was filed, more than 12,500 registrants lacked a tier and therefore could…

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