The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) led more than 35 people, including registrants, family members and supporters in Lobby Day 2020 in the California Capitol. The focus of the day was necessary changes to the Tiered Registry Law that will become effective next year.
“We met in the offices of 28 legislators, who are either members of a Public Safety Committee or were newly elected last year,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “These are the legislators who will lead the way toward a tiered registry that increases public safety and protects civil rights.”
Lobby Day 2020 began with a training session for all participants, including seven Team Leaders. Following that training, participants met with the leader of the team to which they were assigned. The teams then met in legislative offices where appointments had already been made as well as drop-by meetings in offices where participants are constituents.
The participants in Lobby Day 2020 included both veterans who have participated in previous Lobby Days as well as those new to the lobbying process.
“I feel empowered,” stated one person new to the lobbying process. “The people with whom my team met were willing to listen to what I had to say.”
“We made progress today toward correcting the mistakes made in the original Tiered Registry Law,” stated a veteran Lobby Day participant. “I plan to return next year to ensure that those mistakes have been corrected.”
Due to the growing interest in Lobby Day, ACSOL leaders plan to change sign-up procedures in order to expand participation in next year’s event. Although a specific date has not yet been set, Lobby Day 2021 will take place in the month of February.
It was great to have so many people who showed up, stood up, and spoke up! We went to many legislators offices and were pleased to have most of them attentive and asking questions.
We made a difference! I’m proud of my team and all others who sacrificed their time and resources to help all registrants.
We hope the rest of you will take part in this next time. It will fill you with hope!
Thank you to all who attended, or made contacts, or jsut supported ACSOL in some way. Brighter days are on the horizon.
Thank you Janice and Team, and all who showed up and spoke up!
Thank you, Janice and everyone who showed up and stood up! I was there with you in spirit, and I prayed for all of you several times yesterday. Thank you for representing the rest of us who couldn’t make it.
Thank You JB for all the efforts you put into this organization and others to make this happen. Lobby Day was a success. I was empowered to be able to advocate for my family member while still inside. I’m looking forward for 2021.
Monique
That’s awesome! Thank you Janice and company for being there for us and speaking on our behalf!
how can a “tiered” registry promote public safety? That’s such a silly thing for a group opposing the registry to say. Whose side are you on, Janice?
Either oppose the registry or support it. There’s no middle ground.
“These are the legislators who will lead the way toward a tiered registry that increases public safety and protects civil rights.” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci.
A registry is a registry, how can ANY registry, tiered or otherwise, be acceptable? All registries are unconstitutional, how can someone throw others under the bus for their own benefit? A tiered registry does just that, either you approve of a registry or you don’t, choose your side. I hope that more people who claim to be activists for registered persons will choose to abolish the registry and care for their fellow man that is suffering from this cruel and unusual punishment and not try to compromise with the enemy.
I can’t be the only one who thinks that advocating for a tiered registry and wanting the registry to be gone are mutually exclusive, can I? If anyone knows of a way to get the California Legislature or a judge to pull the plug on the registry altogether, please, step up and get the process started! Nobody will stand in your way – least of all people who have worked so hard to get this tiered registry.
The tiered registry with petitions for removal isn’t just a step in the right direction in CA, it’s a giant leap! Please, widen your lens and see the big picture. The goal is the same, it’s just that the route toward the goal may be different.
Again, anyone who has a shorter and quicker route, please, come forth. Lobby some legislators. File a lawsuit. Heck, Michigan may just have an injunction slapped onto the entire registry (wishful thinking). File a lawsuit and get an injunction on CA’s registry. None of us will stop you!
In the meantime, please stop questioning Janice and ACSOL. If it weren’t for all they have done over the years, I don’t know if I’d be able to get out of bed in the morning.
There has not been a single state government that has considered abolishing the registry since its introduction.
Each year in each state an avg of three bills are introduced to either expand the registry or make it retractively harsher.
The proximity housing allowances will likely help about 15% of registrants, and are given up by city governments without much fight. This is good, but simply crumbs of bread to a starving person.
The registry #s are growing daily, and will continue to. It will reach a critical mass, but likely not in our lifetimes.
What we post here is akin to a pressure valve for most of us. A way to feel connected And feel part of something. Some come to bitch, others to give a big ACSOL hug. All of us are suffering, and will be so for our lifetimes, wether on or off the registry. It has done irreparable damage to all of us.
I come here when I am at my lowest, which is more often these days. I rarely comment, but when I do it varies from hope to dispair. I mostly use the board as a distraction. Looking for that moment of light in my otherwise lonely dark world.
Reading comments that criticize others only makes me feel worse, so let’s minimize it please.
@Derek
I came to this site less than a year ago after I was released to find information to help better my situation. This is so far what I have encountered that has done the best work in pushing the Registry back. Now mind you, if there was a better way to end this sooner, that’s where I would be.
I asked you point blank to show us what this great plan is to take down the Registry. If it’s viable I’m all over it.
But all we got from you is squat, zilch, nada. Oh and whole lot of bragging about how long you have been doing whatever it is you said you did. That and putting down others that don’t subscribe to this great plan that no one here has heard of.
If this great plan of yours had any traction it would’ve happened, we would know about, and we would’ve been there.
Did JB just say this? In writing? Whatever happened to “Justice for ALL?”
““These are the legislators who will lead the way toward a tiered registry that increases public safety and protects civil rights.””
With all due respect and the greatest appreciation….. WOW! Mind. Blown.
@Derek
I’m only “mad” that after reading through your screed that you STILL haven’t outline how to take on the Registry.
I can appreciate a critique if you offer a stratagem that can be more effective then the one Janice has been doing.
And so what is it? Tell me.
It doesn’t matter if I “don’t lie my synopsis” Derek. I only care what works.
And spell check.
Derek W Logue:
If your unhappy, why don’t you do anything? Why are you here? The registry isn’t going to disappear. It’s going to take time. Donate? Volunteer? Put your money where your mouth is?
I have 3 questions regarding your lobbying efforts. Will SB 384 respect PC 17B? Will SB 384 respect PC 1203.4? In summary, how will the new tiered law few 17B offenses and expunged offenses?
Furthermore, will there be certain parameters set for LE? When I filed my COR in OC, investigators questioned all my neighbors? They looked for anything and I found them to be rather dishonest (expunged misdemeanor battery/summary probation). When the judge reviewerd my case, he stated he could find no reason to deny my motion, but it wasn’t enough? Motion denied! I believe OC is changing with the new DA
I’ve read most of the comments and I haven’t read anything about the Exclusion Clause.
At the last meeting in LA, Janice said that about 20% of registrants are excluded from the website and I’m in that group. Was I always excluded, no. Was I harassed at work, asked to vacate my apartment and had my vehicle damaged while on the registry? Yes.
Has my life been easier since I was excluded? Yes. But I fought for that exclusion clause as hard as some of the people are fighting for the tiered registry to be implemented now.
I asked Janice directly in a email if her and her group would be fighting to keep it. In her response to me she didn’t answer that question.
So am I to assume that the people who are excluded now would be thrown under the bus just to help the tier 1 or tier 2 people get off of it?
I belonged to a number of unions and during contract negotiations you never gave up something you gained 10 years ago to get something you want now.
It makes me feel good that at least some strait out show their “hate” for the registry , but brings me down to see the same children of the corn people so ready to throw 3’s under the bus through the (Rear system) not one word about 14A 10A 4A 5A and a gaggle of other amendments the registry stomps all over. Seems the constitution holds no water for us . so we get called sniveler’s , basement cowards , you know I don’t have to point out all of the trash we have to wear in this community “at times” , and that always happens when we speak our mind, you know people wishing we would lose our 1A as well . while I am thankful for what Janice has done and all the hard work , Janice is a awesome person as well as the ones she works closely with , that being said I don’t always agree with her , but Janice is not my issue . My issue is with the children of the corn that act like it don’t stink up on that so called high road they have assigned themselves , well that’s funny the rest of us smell it ! lol anyway I just really wanted to say thanks to some of the people I call brother/sister , Derek , Gina , Joe , Totally against public registry , just to name a few ,I enjoy reading all your comments as well as a few others . Don’t Ever Give Up ! much love and respect
I’m glad to hear such positivity, but I haven’t heard an explanation as to why everyone is so empowered by that day. Can anyone explain? Were any of the legislators seeming to be on our side? Did they seem to agree with the arguments set forth? Was there any one legislator that seems more promising to get something done?
@alienated, thank you for focusing on what ACSOL has accomplished rather than the bad bills made by vote-seeking politicians.
ACSOL cannot create new bills, we can only educate and encourage legislators to be authors of good ones. We fought for years to change a lifetime registry that almost no one could leave, but one politician corrupted it. Now we fight to put it back the way it originally was conceived. In the long term, we will fight to get rid of the public registry, but we first need to change the attitudes of society at a grassroots level so the incentive for politicians to make them will drop.
I’m sorry you and 40,000 others are victims of that corruption of the registry that will put you into tier 3 as currently written. It’s not what ACSOL fought for. But we will all work hard to make this corruption temporary.
The more people like you are willing to call, write, and come with us to Sacramento, the shorter the corruption will last.
The more we are all willing to selectively tell family, friends, neighbors, city councils, etc. of the horror of the registry and how unjust the laws are and how they affect us (just as gays did in the 60s and 70s to change society’s attitudes), the faster we can eventually get rid of the public registry. To learn how, come to our conference and take the breakout sessions on when and how to “come out of the registry closet”.