[usnews.com 5/7/18] LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two registered sex offenders are suing Los Angeles County for the right to become poll workers. City News Service says the suit filed Monday argues that the county’s policy banning offenders violates state law and the Constitution. The suit was filed by two offenders who live in the county and by the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, a nonprofit group. California’s sex offender registration website lists more than 13,000 people in L.A. County, including those convicted of nonviolent offenses. Read more
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State Department Files Motion to Dismiss IML Lawsuit (Updated)
UPDATE 06/07: The date of the IML hearing has been changed from June 25 to July 9 at the government’s request. The State Department today filed a Motion to Dismiss the lawsuit which challenges the International Megan’s Law (IML) on procedural grounds. A hearing on the Motion to Dismiss is scheduled for June 25 in Los Angeles. In its motion, the State Department asserts that its final rule issued in September 2016 is consistent with the IML and that its press release issued in October 2017 that included the language of…
Read MoreCA: Senate Public Safety Committee Stops Two Bills
During a hearing today, the Senate Public Safety Committee stopped two bills, SB 976 and SB 1143, that would have harmed registrants as well as their families. The first of those bills (SB 976) would have expanded the definition of “violent felony” to include all felony sex offenses. That change could have resulted in longer prison sentences as well as no consideration for early parole. The second of those bills (SB 1143) would have required registrants convicted of an offense involving a minor to disclose their status as a registrant…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Three Opportunities in Thirty Days
We have three opportunities during the next 30 days to Show Up – Stand Up – Speak Up. Our first opportunity is in Sacramento on April 24 when the Senate Public Safety Committee will consider Senate Bill 1143. If passed, that bill would require registrants convicted of an offense involving a minor to disclose their status as a registrant to potential landlords as well as to home sellers if the property is within one-quarter mile of a school or a park. The penalty for not making such a disclosure is…
Read MoreACSOL Conference to Feature National Experts
The second annual ACSOL conference to be held on June 15 and June 16 will feature national experts Laurie Jo Reynolds, Dr. Ilan Meyer and Anokhi Shah. The conference will be held at Southwestern Law School, 3050 Wilshire Boulevard, in downtown Los Angeles. “Laurie Jo Reynolds is an activist, a social justice professor and an artist who understands the challenges registrants and their families face every day,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “She is sure to inspire us all.” Dr. Ilan Meyer is a Distinguished Senior Scholar for Public…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group Meeting – March 31, Los Angeles
ACSOL will host an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday March 31, 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting.
Read MoreCA: Judge Issues Final Ruling in Prop. 57 Case
[ACSOL] Emergency regulations, intended to implement Proposition 57 and issued by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), must be set aside, according to a final ruling released today by a Sacramento Superior Court judge. The ruling specifically stated that “CDCR cannot substitute its judgment for what it wishes the drafters of Proposition 57 had said. Nor may CDCR’s…regulations override a clear directive in the Constitution. “Due to this ruling, CDCR’s emergency regulations issued in March 2017 cannot be enforced and new regulations must be issued. The new regulation…
Read MoreIML Lawsuit Filed
A lawsuit was filed today in the Central District of the U.S. District Court of California challenging regulations issued by the State Department that announced the addition of a “unique identifier” to the passports of some registrants. Addition of the identifier to passports could affect more than 500,000 Americans and their families. “The State Department violated the requirements of the Administrative Procedures Act (APA) when it failed to provide the public with an opportunity to comment upon its regulations,” stated ACSOL Executive Director and attorney Janice Bellucci. “As a result…
Read MoreCA: Federal Court Limits Residency Restrictions to Parolees
A federal district court ruled on Dec. 22 that residency restrictions adopted by cities and counties may only be applied to registrants while on parole. “This is a significant victory for registrants and their families,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The Court’s decision dramatically reduces the ability of a city or a county to restrict where a registrant may live.” According to the court’s decision, the general rule is that local governments are preempted by state law from adopting laws that restrict the daily lives of registrants because state law “fully occupies” the field of…
Read MoreCA: Why Highland is repealing its sex offender residency ordinances
The city of Highland is repealing its residency restrictions on sex offenders, two years after the state Supreme Court deemed similar restrictions unconstitutional. The City Council has agreed to repeal its ordinance, which prohibits sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of public or private schools and parks, after receiving a threat of litigation from Sacramento-based attorney Janice Bellucci. Full Article
Read MoreACSOL to Host Conference on June 15 and 16, 2018
ACSOL will host its second annual conference on June 15 and June 16, 2018, at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. The conference will focus upon important issues such as the International Megan’s Law and the Tiered Registry as well as employment and housing. “The second conference will build upon the success of the inaugural conference and address the issues of greatest importance to registrants and their loved ones,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. Confirmed speakers for the 2018 conference include law professors Ira Ellman and Catherine Carpenter, sociologist Emily Horowitz…
Read MorePOSTPONED: ACSOL will NOT fight bad parole conditions in L.A. 11/27
The date for the hearing in the ACLU case which was originally scheduled for Nov. 27 in Los Angeles has been delayed due to government request, so we will not be at the courthouse on Nov 27. There is not yet a new date. We will notify you as soon as we know what the new hearing date will be.
Read MoreACSOL to Challenge Passport Identifier in Federal Court
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will challenge the passport identifier recently revealed by the U.S. State Department. The challenge is expected to be filed in a federal district court within the next 90 days. “We have begun the necessary process of identifying a strategy for a successful challenge,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “The strategy will include the identification of potential plaintiffs as well as both legal and financial resources. The federal district court in which the challenge will be filed has not yet been determined.…
Read MoreSimi Valley Formally Notifies Registrants of Repealed Halloween Ordinance
The City of Simi Valley has formally notified registrants in that city that they are no longer required to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween and are allowed to decorate their homes as well as answer their door to children. According to the letter dated October 18, these changes are the result of a decision made on October 16 by the Simi Valley City Council to repeal its Halloween ordinance which was adopted in 2012. The Simi Valley letter did not make reference to…
Read MoreCA: Simi Valley links to Megan’s Law site to safeguard kids from sex offenders on Halloween
Simi Valley on Thursday unveiled a new strategy to safeguard trick-or-treating children from the city’s registered sex offenders. It used its Nixle.com account to link to the state’s Megan’s Law website, which lists the names, photos and addresses of 97 of the city’s 165 registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreSimi Valley Repeals Halloween Ordinance
The Simi Valley City Council unanimously agreed tonight to repeal its Halloween Ordinance which required the city’s registrants to post a sign on the front door of their homes as well as prohibited them from decorating their homes, answering the door to trick-or-treaters and illuminating any exterior lights. The City Council vote was taken without discussion or debate, however, the City Attorney recommended repeal of the ordinance prior to the meeting due to a lawsuit filed on behalf of a registrant and his family who reside in Simi Valley. “The…
Read MoreCA: Simi Valley City Council may repeal Halloween sex offender ordinance
With two weeks until Halloween, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night may repeal a controversial law that says registered sex offenders listed on the Megan’s Law website can’t open their doors to trick-or-treating children. Full Article
Read MoreRegistrant and Family Request Injunction to Stop Simi Valley Halloween Law
A registrant and his family filed a Motion for Preliminary Injunction (PI) in federal court late yesterday in order to stop a Halloween Ordinance in Simi Valley from being enforced. The ordinance requires registrants to post a sign on the front door of their home on Halloween as well as prohibits registrants from participating in Halloween activities including decorating their homes. “After the lawsuit was filed, city officials have admitted that they have enforced the Halloween Ordinance for the past five years despite a judge’s ruling and a written promise…
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