Support for the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421) is growing both in the form of letters of support as well as a new co-author, Republican Senator Jeff Stone of San Diego.
“The growing support for the Tiered Registry Bill is evidence that it is time to stop the state’s lifetime registry for all,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “It is time for California to join 46 states in the nation through adoption of a tiered registry.”
Letters of support from law enforcement include letters from the CA Police Chiefs Association, the L.A. Deputy Sheriffs, the Riverside Sheriff’s Association, the CA College and University Police Chiefs Association and the L.A. County Professional Peace Officers Association. District attorneys who have formally supported the bill include L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey and Alameda District Attorney Nancy O’Malley.
Letters of support from non-profit organizations include letters from the Tiered Registry Bill include the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL), the ACLU, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Root & Rebound and Equality California.
The Senate Public Safety Committee will consider the Tiered Registry Bill during its hearing on April 25. According to Senator Scott Wiener, the bill’s author and a Democrat from San Francisco, “California urgently needs a new registration system that focuses attention and resources on high risk and violent sex offenders.”
Los Angeles District Attorney stated in her letter, “California will greatly improve public safety by eliminating our current lifetime sex offender registration requirement.”
Letters of Support
LA Law Enforcement Agencies SB 421 Support Letter
Nancy O’ Malley SB 421 Support Letter
SB 421 SCOPS
SB 421 Senate Public Safety Analysis
SB 421 Support Police Chiefs
In the SB 421 SCOPS letter, it says that “[t]he tiers that would be created by SB 421 are based on seriousness of crime, risk of sexual reoffending, AND criminal history.” (“And” implying that -all three- factors are taken into consideration.)
Yet SB 421 makes it possible for someone to be labeled “high risk,” and thus Tier 3, if a crime is non-violent, even if the person is a first-time offender and has been offense-free in the community for many years now. (Note: Tier 3 classification “if the person’s score on the static risk assessment instrument for sex offenders is high risk.)
The SARATSO/Static 99 must be eliminated from this bill! If it has only been studied for periods of five-years in this state, then why is it being allowed to be the sole determinant in labeling a person ‘high risk’ and Tier 3 (without regard to subsequent offense-free behavior)?
Thank you Janice. I sent my letters and will be there in spirit tomorrow. I truly believe this to be a big step in the right direction.
That’s a pretty solid lineup of support letters! Hope to hear 4/25 goes well.
Also, I hope that this was a misquote: “The growing support for the Tiered Registry Bill is evidence that it is time to stop the state’s lifetime registry for all.”
Thank you to everyone involved.
Marc Klaas Tweeted this Monday night:
Headed to Sacto tomorrow to testify against SB421, which will gut #MegansLaw. 44K RSO’s will disappear from the public sex offender registry
Be prepared to counter his fear and lies to the CA Legislature. He’ll say ANYTHING to get what he wants.
Good luck.
Mary
So, a REPUBLICAN is now supporting this? Operating on the presumption that he actually thinks this will provide relief to us, this flies in the face of what the powers that be here have advocated, and I said was misguided: To vote for Democrats because the Republicans will never help us.
As I said, the Democrats have been our worst enemies, they are the ones who forced this registration to go national, and the ones who have been in control of our State Legislature the entire time California registration has been made exponentially worse than imaginable. This has been bought to us by the Democrats.
Pay no attention to party line when voting — you must research the people, as there are plenty of Republicans who actually stand on principle, and at least some of them believe in the principle of fair and humane treatment of people; they are not all like George Runner or Donald Trump, but it seems far, far too many Democrats are.
Consider, we are now facing a Democratic Party that is complete dictatorial control of both houses of the Legislature, and with a Democrat as governor, and yet, we haven’t been able to get even so much as a fake tier bill through! How can you say the Democrats are automatically good for us? Too many here do not know or understand politics.
Lake County
You can watch live streaming video of both SB 26 and SB 421 from this Senate Page:
http://senate.ca.gov/calendar
Click on live streaming.
Starts at 8:30am
SB 26 is the first hearing.
😮 The Bill is now co-authored by Sen. Jeff Stone (Republican!)!? Wow, that should be very strong boost for this Bill’s passage! Excellent news! 😀
this part is one of the concerns along with the petition for removal and the adding of people that are not on the registry..especially when they state in the very next paragraph that having a public registry has not been effective in deterring future crimes…
“Law enforcement cannot protect the community effectively when they are in the office doing monthly or annual paperwork for low risk offenders. Instead, they should be active in the community monitoring high risk offenders. ”
that active in the community could mean a lot of problems for those individuals when there is no evidence to support the conclusion that those people need heightened scrutiny or harassment without any public safety being enhanced. I guess we’ll have to see how it goes….this is going to help a lot of people but it could negatively effect a large number of people as well. I commend Janice and team for pushing this bill as they are sincerely trying to help lets just hope all these other characters are acting in good faith as well…
here’s a link to the current Bill…
http://losangeles.networkofcare.org/pr/legislate/state-bill-text.aspx?id=531098&bill=SB%20421&sessionid=2017000
I am proud to be a part of today’s historic event. I sat next to a woman who wa
I AM HERE, I AM PROUD, AND TO ALL THOSE WHO SEE LIFE IN THE NEGATIVE, WE ARE WINNING THIS BATTLE! More later.
I’ve never voted for a Republican after getting a college degree, but it shouldn’t be surprising that some Republicans could be swayed on a bill like this — law enforcement often favors it, lower costs/burdens for the state and local governments, etc.
The only way the bill works is if it can be presented as being helpful to law enforcement. People who live in fantasy land and then that a fairy is going to sprinkle pixie dust on our state/country and decide that this is a human rights issue and nobody should be on a registry are never going to be satisfied, because that is not happening in the foreseeable future.
But, what could happen in the foreseeable future, is that some RSOs begin to experience some relief because politicians become convinced that law enforcement can protect communities better if they have fewer names to keep an eye on and have to spend less money complying with regulations.
In a world where that argument is made, then improvements can happen.
And, seriously, I really hope Sex offenders stop comparing themselves to oppressed minorities of the past. Being born with black skin, for example, is NOT the same thing as committing a sex crime. You might think that the argument holds, but the argument will not be persuasive to most people.
It passed public safety committee!
SB 421 just passed the Committee! We had an amazing number of supporters show up.
It was mentioned by this committee that it was also time to consider reducing the number of offenses that can get a person on the registry. It was also repeatedly mentioned by most that the CA registry is broken. They made it clear that they did not want removal to be automatic and that the petitioning process is a safety measure that makes it easier to vote in favor of this bill. And Mark Klass did show up and speak against this Bill.
So SB 421 passes with amendments……..
On its face, this is very good news. The Devil will be in the details. 😈
Wonderful to hear about the support! I can recall registering in Long Beach for 1 year (long story). They where very professional, courteous and I can recall speaking to one of the detectives when I moved (expunged battery/informal probation). He was surprised I was still required to register and he wished me luck and call anytime! In OC, they are rather rude/seem to have it out for you and when I’ve ran into them for compliance checks (they have been out 3-4 times annually), they pretend not to know the answer when I have a question? Things need to change!
I don’t get it so it passed what ?? what happens now is it official ???
The Senate Public Safety Committee today passed the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421)! In addition, more committee members joined as co-authors of the bill!! A full article regarding the hearing will be posted very soon. This is a momentous event made possible by 47 people who testified in support of the bill.
ya and what’s this arbitrary date of 2019? any other bills against us take effect immediately and are usually retro so we have to wait until 2019 for anything to happen….
Is there a link to the video of today’s hearing on 26 and 421?
Senate Committee Passes Tiered Registry Bill
The Senate Public Safety Committee passed the Tiered Registry Bill (Senate Bill 421) in a hearing during which three members of the Committee agreed to co-author the bill. The bill is now co-authored by Committee Chair Sen. Nancy Skinner as well as Committee Members Holly Mitchell and Joel Anderson.
During the hearing, a total of 47 people spoke in favor the Tiered Registry Bill including representatives from the ACLU, Equality California, Root & Rebound and the Friends Committee.
“Today’s victory is based in large part upon the registrants and family members who spoke today in support of the Tiered Registry Bill,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.
Prior to the vote, Sen. Scott Wiener noted that a “broad coalition of law enforcement enthusiastically support a tiered registry.” He also added that the state’s sex offender registry has had “a huge negative impact on the LGBT community.”
Sen. Mitchell noted during the hearing that no individual or organization had spoken in opposition to the Tiered Registry Bill prior to the hearing despite the fact that the language of the bill has been available since February. She added that “now is the time for a tiered registry bill” to be passed.
Also during the hearing, the Committee Chair revealed that she is the survivor of sexual abuse. Sen. Skinner added that the Tiered Registry Bill provides a type of reform that is “greatly needed.”
Two people spoke in opposition to the bill — Mark Klaas and Mika Moulton — by arguing that the Tiered Registry Bill would help registrants, but harm victims. Both Klaas and Moulton are parents of young children who were murdered.
Alameda District Attorney Nancy O’Malley, who also chairs the CA Sex Offender Management Board, testified in favor SB 421. She spoke of an 80-year-old man who exposed himself when he was 19 years old and has never re-offended. “He asked me to help him get off the registry, but I had to tell him that although I am the District Attorney, I could not help him because state law currently requires him to register for the rest of his life.”
Five of the Committee members voted in favor of SB 421 — Skinner, Wiener, Mitchell, Jackson and Bradford. Sen. Jeff Stone was the only committee member to vote in opposition of the bill while Sen. Joel Anderson was absent when the vote was taken.
The Senate Appropriations Committee is expected to consider SB 421 next month.
this is a momentous occasion that Janice and team and everyone who helped should be celebrated for their involvement to get this passed. although its not perfect and we all hope it doesn’t hurt more than it helps I believe Janice did this in good faith..break open the champagne and celebrate you deserve it….
I attended the Committee hearing on 4/25/17. My observations:
1. Senator Jeff Stone strongly opposed SB 421 (~”he would not be able to find one voter in his district that would support it!”)
2. Senator Scott Weiner, SB 421 author, stated that Senator Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon) who was not in attendance had expressed interest in becoming a co-author.
Conclusion: I think the ACSOL notice contains a small misstatement.