The City of West Covina, located in Los Angeles County, has repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living within most of the city. The repeal took place on February 2 during a regularly scheduled meeting of the West Covina City Council.
“We commend the City of West Covina for repealing its residency restrictions,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Registrants and their families can now lawfully reside anywhere in that city.”
The city’s repeal followed the filing of a lawsuit in March 2020 in Los Angeles Superior Court. This lawsuit was the 43rd lawsuit filed in California challenging residency restrictions adopted by a city or county. After repeal of these restrictions, there is only one lawsuit pending against the City of Paso Robles, located in San Luis Obispo County.
The first lawsuit challenging residency restrictions was filed in June 2015 against the City of Grover Beach, located in San Luis Obispo County, after the city expanded its restrictions from 1,000 feet to 2,000 feet. The City of Grover Beach repealed its residency restrictions within 60 days after the lawsuit was filed.
“Registrants in California who are not on parole or probation may live anywhere they wish to live,” stated Bellucci. “No longer will they be kept from living with their families in their family home.”
Related links:
West Covina repealing sex offender residency restrictions [sgvtribune.com – 2/3/21]
That’s great news! Congratulations on the win!
Congratulations on the win!!! Looking forward to many more!
Great work by ACSOL. It’s amazing that it’s taken so long to get settlement on these cases. Hopefully all the Cities & Counties that fought the longest will have paid ACSOL the most in attorney fees.
Great News!!! Another win thanks ACSOL!!!
Congrats! I did not know West Covina was still upholding the residency restrictions.
The California Supreme Court ruled residence restrictions in 2015 and only now are they repealing them? If I were on the registry and wanted to move there but couldn’t because of those restrictions, I’d sue them.
I remember California’s Jessica’s law
Sex offenders couldn’t live more then 2000 feet from school’s parks bus stops churches beaches or any other places children might dwell
Its funny seeing city’s like West Covina holding on to the good old days back when sex offenders were top priority on Law Enforcement hit list it was really A dark time back then from 2010 till 2017 sex offenders were hunted down like runaway slaves by Law Enforcement all across California/America brought back to their registering countys and handed over to the district attorney’s office 90% of them were sent to prison for the 1st or 2nd time.
Sex offender task forces are still out there tracking people their just not wasting as much time and money to do so BUT dont ever get comfortable because when your name randomly comes up for A compliance check you best believe they’ve been watching and following you around for 5 or 6 working days before they actually knock on your door and if your not home in 5 or 6 working days they flag your file and open an investigation on you
Good luck
“When it was first brought up to us, I was like, unbelievable. How ridiculous is this?” Lopez-Viado said. “Those urges. How do you prevent those urges? That’s an innate nature for you to do that and you can’t control it the first time, who’s to say those urges won’t come back again?”
A breathtakingly ignorant statement.
I remember this.
The cops forced me from my parents house and did not give a damn where I ended up. They changed their tune as soon as my parents came to ask why. I couldn’t live with my Mother, Father, or Grandmother because of this law. Thankfully, I was able to live at my Uncle’s for a year until I was able to move back.
This alone should’ve thrown out the whole scheme.
I realize some were not as lucky.
excellent. thanks.