The Assembly has just voted on AB 625 and defeated it by 41 to 19. It’s hard to believe that elected officials don’t understand the current challenges faced by the state’s 92,000+ registrants such as unemployment, homelessness and vigilante violence. These challenges are of course experienced by family members as well. California RSOL attempted to educate them by lobbying efforts in October, November, December and January. Many thanks to Frank and Marshall who lobbied with me during the first months and with 8 others who joined us in January. And…
Read MoreMonth: January 2012
AB 625 AMENDED BY ASSEMBLY
AB 625 was amended by the Assembly during its deliberations on Thursday, January 26. The amendment, proposed by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, would create a fourth tier of individuals that would only be required to notify law enforcement officials when they moved. The amendment was proposed in order to attract additional votes for the bill. The amendment passed 32 to 16 after being opposed by Assemblyman Hagman of Orange County. A vote on the amended bill is scheduled for Monday, January 30.
Read MoreVOTE ON AB 625 DELAYED
Voting on Assembly Bill (AB) 625 was delayed due to the absence of several supporters of the bill, according to staffers in the office of Assemblyman Ammiano. The bill is expected to be voted upon either Thursday, January 26, or Monday, January 30. The delay provides an opportunity to provide further input into the office of Assembly members. Please call the office of the Assembly person who represents you. A list of Assembly members, including phone numbers, can be found online at www.assembly.ca.gov.
Read MoreCA RSOL SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETES LOBBYING EFFORT
California successfully completed its group lobbying effort in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 625 that would end the state’s lifetime registry for many but not all registrants on Wednesday, January 18. Three teams of registrants, family members and professionals met with a total of 45 legislators and/or legislative staffers. CA RSOL received a warm welcome in many of the legislative offices and was commended for speaking out on this topic. In its lobbying effort, CA RSOL brought updated information to the legislative offices on topics such as recidivism and the…
Read MoreBOARD RECOMMENDS CHANGES TO RESIDENCY LIMITS
The California Sex Offender Management Board recently issued a report that questioned the effectiveness of residency restrictions. The report noted an extremely low recidivism rate for sex offenders (3.25 percent for parolees and 5 percent for those who completed parole) and concluded that most sex offenses are committed by individuals who are not on the state’s registry. The report also noted an increase of more than 100 percent in the homelessness of registered individuals. This increases rather than decreases the safety of communities, according to the Board. The full report,…
Read MoreCA SUPREME COURT TO DECIDE PEOPLE vs MOSLEY
The California Supreme Court is expected to consider soon the important case of People v. Mosley. That case focuses upon whether the imposition of a lifetime sex offender registration, which includes residency restrictions that prohibit registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of any public or private school or park where children regularly gather increase the penalty for the original offense for which the registrant was convicted. The opening brief on the merits of this case was filed on April 11, 2011, and the reply brief was filed on…
Read MoreCA RSOL LOBBYING STATE LEGISLATORS TO END LIFETIME REGISTRY
California RSOL began its group lobbying effort of state legislators in support of Assembly Bill (AB) 625 on Tuesday, January 17. The Bill would replace the state’s current lifetime registry with a tiered registry that would allow individuals convicted of low level offenses to leave the registry in as little as 10 years from the date of their conviction provided that they have not re-offended. Individuals convicted of medium level offenses could leave the registry in 20 years while those deemed a significant threat would remain on the registry for…
Read MoreLIFETIME REPORTING HARMS SOCIETY, INDIVIDUALS
Editor’s Note: The editorial below from the New York Times is not specific to registrants, but addresses an issue of great importance to registrants. That issue is employment and the need to reveal a past offense. California needs to join Massachusetts in limiting the use of information regarding past convictions. January 9, 2012 Paying a Price, Long After the Crime By ALFRED BLUMSTEIN and KIMINORI NAKAMURA IN 2010, the Chicago Public Schools declined to hireDarrell Langdon for a job as a boiler-room engineer, because he had been convicted of possessing…
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