Janice’s Journal: Assembly Member Brough Withdraws AB 201 [UPDATED]

Update May 4: California RSOL has confirmed that AB 201 was withdrawn by its author from consideration by the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee. As a result, AB 201 will not be voted on this year on the floor of the Assembly. It is possible, however, that AB 201 could be amended and considered in 2016.

It was a long drive home yesterday after the Assembly Local Government Committee passed AB 201 by a vote of 5 to 0. A six hour drive is a six hour drive, but yesterday it seemed to take at least 12 hours.

The questions kept running through my head. What did we do wrong? What could we have said that we did not say during the committee hearing? Did we say something we should not have said?

The answer to those questions came quickly today. We did nothing wrong during the Committee hearing. And we must have done something very right before, during or after that hearing because the author of the bill, Assembly Member Bill Brough, withdrew the bill today!

Perhaps what made the difference was 162 letters sent by a single family in Los Angeles. Perhaps it was a $5 donation sent by a homeless registrant. Perhaps it was a chance hallway meeting between two California RSOL “lobbyists” and the bill’s author.

The reason is not as important as the result…..AB 201 is dead and gone. One head of a two-headed dragon has vanished.

The remaining head of the dragon is SB 267 which will be heard by the Senate Public Safety Committee on May 12. If that committee approves the bill, it will move to the floor for a final vote in the Senate. If the committee opposes the bill, the second head of the dragon will also vanish.

It’s up to YOU. YOU can stop SB 267 by sending more letters, making more phone calls, as well as writing more E-mails. And by YOU we mean all registered citizens, family members and friends.

It’s time to pull out all the stops. It’s time to show, stand up and speak up!

Write Letters

Here is a Draft Letter (plain text) to the Senate Public Safety Committee as a start. Feel free to customize and personalize (be sure and edit your information, the date and the addressee at the top).

Below is a list of its members including mailing addresses and phone numbers.

Make Phone Calls

Making your opinion known is Sacramento is easy via telephone. Call the office of the Senator or Assembly Member and a receptionist will answer the phone. Give that person the following information. It usually only takes 1 or 2 minutes.

  • the bill #
  • your position on the bill
  • your name
  • your city

CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE
COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY
http://spsf.senate.ca.gov/

Senator Loni Hancock, Chair
State Capitol, Room 2082
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4009

Senator Joel Anderson, Co-Chair
State Capitol, Room 5052
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4038

Senator Mark Leno
State Capitol, Room 5100
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4011

Senator Carol Liu
State Capitol, Room 5097
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4025

Senator Mike McGuire
State Capitol, Room 5064
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4002

Senator Bill Monning
State Capitol, Room 313
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4017

Senator Jeff Stone
State Capitol, Room 4062
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 651-4028

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Oh my! Best news of the day! I truly, TRULY believe this is a very positive sign in that the tide really is turning in favor of our community’s rights; that is, rights for EVERY individual…registrant or not. God is good, and I know He hears our prayers.

Incredible! I logged on to CA RSOL this evening to face what I thought was the inevitable, bad news. Those who made the effort to write letters and those who made the effort to call, and Janice and Frank, who have led this crusade, you made a difference. I am glad to be part of that group. I am glad I stood up and spoke out. But the job is only half done. If you didn’t contribute to the past efforts, now is the time. It is painless and you only need a phone. The Senator’s office will typically only want to know one thing – yea or nay on the bill. Tell them you are a voter and want the Senator to vote against the bill. Then call the next one.

Many, many thanks to Janice and Frank. Their efforts are paying off, but it takes more than just them. WE MUST BE INVOLVED – it is our lives if affects.

Time to write some more letters!

Assemblyman Brough..you did the right thing in withdrawal of that bill 201…..thank you for listening to reason and good will to all people ….thank you and fellow assemblyman for the courage to be humble.

I hate to be the wet blanket the first question that pops into my mind is, why did he withdraw the bill? until we know the answer to that. I’m going to hold my applause politicians don’t do anything without regarding their career, first and foremost, and I’m quite sure that there will be flak coming from people about him withdrawing a bill that they wanted to see pasted . So he’s going to have to have a pretty convincing reason for withdrawing of that bill, right after it having unanimous approval to move on.

Will B: Could it be that he was providing political covers for his fellow committee members who could not vote as THEY wished, for political (re-election) reasons? Maybe he jumped on the grenade to save all the others – he takes the hit, they get away clean.
Whatever the reason, I am truly rejoicing tonight! Now an all out effort to take down SB267! I got my peeps – including three Senator Hancock constituents – calling and sending letters! We can ….we WILL …we MUST do this!!

One down and one to go. We can do it. More letters, more phone calls. One step at a time.

I’m skeptical also. He would be the first politician I’ve ever heard of with a conscious that I know of. Thank you Janice and everyone who participated in the effort and let’s try to beleive it was because he seen it was the right thing to do.

Janice and everyone….THANK YOU!!!!

This is awesome. Thank you Janice, and everyone who made an effort to write to the senators, made donations toward our cause, said a prayer, or anything that may have contributed to this wise decision for the bill to be withdrawn. This is a very positive step in the right direction.

Janice, Frank, and all who were involved to make this happen: THANK YOU! It does help to speak up and get involved. I wrote letters to all Senators and made phone calls as well. I feel relieved and happy today.

Janice, et al.,… my heartfelt thanks.

AB 267 why did they cross out the residency (there’s a line over the words reside in the bill) part I wonder. And did brough pull his bill because it conflicts with this bill or because he saw it as umessary because of this bill. Lot of unawnsered questions.

(2) A local agency may adopt ordinances, rules, or regulations that are more restrictive than state law relating to a person’s ability (to reside) or be present at schools, parks, day care centers, or other locations where children regularly gather within the local agency’s jurisdiction when the person is required to register pursuant to Section 290 for an offense committed against a minor

Janice will confirm, but I have it on good authority that the letters sent by members of this group, among others, were the MAIN reason why AB 201 was revoked. To that end…

I’m sure many of you has watched the movie The Shawshank Redemption, in which one of the subplots was a prisoner in jail sending the legislature of the state a request for money for the prison library. He did it consistantly until the legislature responded years later with a monetary grant and a small donation. Yes, victory! But instead of stopping, seeing that the letter campaign worked, he DOUBLED his efforts, until he received a SIGNIFICANT, recurring contribution, allowing the prison library to be completely rebuilt and stocked.

By the same token: we can NOT sit on our laurels. We have to know that what we did here WORKED!! But…BUT!!… we must continue to write the letters often, to as many influential people as possible. Just as the protagonist in Shawshank was able to successfully up the ante, we have to use the same methods in our own campaign.

Keep in mind that this is not a total victory, but only a battle. In fact, I was surprised that it did work, but for reasons I am not disclosing here, these letters WILL work in the future, at least with the current legislature.

Does anyone know where to find that the bill was withdrawn. Not that I am a disbeliever, but I would like to momentarily bask in the glory of the success. When I go the legislature’s website and pull up the bill, it shows only has having passed and been rereferred to PS. Is there something I am missing?

Well, everyone should be commended. It’s difficult to understand how everyone/but 1 voted on passing this ordinance? Yet, it was withdrawn. I can only imagine that something of someone addressed this issue! I think when you look at the big picture, no one wants to pass an ordinance and have the courts over turn it of determine it’s unconstitutional. I think that if the Assembly looks at the big picture, they will withdraw this proposed ordinance as well.

Janice, I would like to know exactly how you got this information, because if it is from this Brough person, and only him, I’m very skeptical that this is true. If you could provide some other source as to how you got this information I would be very appreciative, thank you. Also I would like to mention that on california’s legal.info.net it mentions a hearing by the assembly public safety committee on the fifth of May.

I wrote a lengthy, heartfelt email to Marc Steinorth, sharing my life story. Sharing my life as a fellow business owner and father, like him. Sharing how this bill will further disrupt my ability to parent, 20 years after my crime, still punishing me and my family. I shared how I am already denied business financing, denied home financing from the government, denied the ability to socialize with my family and friends on Facebook, and am one slip up away from forgetting to register and losing my home, business and landing in prison. And with technology the way it is now, there is no hiding your offense in prison any longer. I received an email back from Marc asking me to call him, which I thought was very kind and encouraging.

You know I don’t understand how they can apply these regulations retro actively. Even regulations can’t be applied retroactively it would seem since they don’t apply things such as car registration fees or say smog requirements retroactive if they did you would have to have your 20 year old car modified to pass todays standards. Or pay all your old car registration fees at todays rate. Am I missing something.

Thank you very much Janice, and excellent work. Thank goodness there is at least one lawyer with a good heart.

WOW, Prayer and action seems to make a difference!

“It is possible, however, that AB 201 could be amended and considered in 2016.”

If this is the case does this mean that AB 201 was withdrawn for modification? To be rewritten into a even more onerous bid to take over the field from the state? My vital sixth sense (spiritual discernment) has been telling me that assembly Member Bill Brough didn’t withdraw his bill simply because he’s a nice guy. I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see.

A little more clarity on his decision to withdraw the bill:

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sex-660859-offenders-state.html

I certainly don’t think anyone but the most naive thought he pulled this from a position of empathy. It’s also good to see in print all the same players still lurking in the background behind this bill. However what this article does is show a monumental swing in favor of common sense and also shows the influence the board is having. This is all good news!!!!

On April 29 CARSOL showed up to oppose AB201 and it was pulled. I am suggesting that all of you who live in or near Sacramento show up on May 12 at the Senate Public Safety Committee meeting to show your opposition to SB267. You may be granted the opportunity to approach a microphone and state where you are from and that you oppose SB 267, but no identifying info will be collected. Please support Janice and all the others who are fighting this bill by showing up. It is time to get into the fight. There is nothing to fear and much to gain!