PLACERVILLE – The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors is expected to repeal a 2-year-old sex offender ordinance Tuesday to settle a federal civil rights lawsuit. The 2012 ordinance was inspired by Phillip and Nancy Garrido, the county’s most notorious sex offenders, who were convicted the year before of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard and holding her for 18 years.
The measure forbids registered sex offenders from coming within 300 feet of parks, schools, libraries, public pools and other places where children congregate. “The ordinance that’s on the books today is, in fact, unconstitutional,” said attorney Janice Bellucci, who represents a 48-year-old sex offender from Pollock Pines who sued El Dorado County in federal court last summer. Full Article
Related: El Dorado Co. poised to repeal sex offender lawsuit (Video)
My Deepest gratitude goes to those who seek the right path, no matter how obscure. Thank you so much for your actions with this lawsuit. My brother called me today to inform me that these folks are considering rescinding this ordinance today.
Personally, I think bringing suits against these types of laws and simply accepting a retraction does more harm than good. There needs to a severe financial punishment. It has worked well for protecting the liberties of the homeless.
And no, I really don’t want to hear this is the best we can do right now.
Wooohooo!!
The El Dorado County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved today repeal of the county sex offender ordinance! The supervisors will vote a second time on this issue on January 14. I firmly believe that the repeal of ordinances which prohibit registered citizens from visiting recreational areas, including those around Lake Tahoe, and a public library is an essential step in reclaiming the civil rights of registered citizens as well as protecting the constitutions of the United State and California.
Exactly Janice Bellucci …!!!….Its a HOME RUN…!
As a registered sex offender in El Dorado County I can honestly say “THANK YOU”. Too many of these local ordinances deny a registered sex offender constitutionally guaranteed rights on the basis of scare tactics and loosely interpreted recidivism numbers.
The repeal is a step forward, but the publicly stated intent of the district attorney to draft another ordinance to replace the one repealed is troubling and to my mind illustrates how this can become much like the game of whack-a-mole.
When there is no disincentive for abusive laws such as these, politicians and law enforcement officials WILL continue to draft, implement, enforce and use these laws to harass us.
I hate to say it but “Can’t we all just get along” just doesn’t work. Just as there needs to be appropriate consequences for our misdeeds to discourage continuing bad behavior, the same holds true for those who take anyones civil rights away. There has to be some sort of consequence… Not just “Oops, I didn’t do it right, let me go back and find another way to harass you”.