A Los Angeles-based nonprofit is claiming California prison officials have undermined last fall’s ballot measure to overhaul the state’s parole process by excluding sex offenders from consideration for early release. The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, which advocates for the rights of those convicted of sex crimes and their families, says the exemption — written into newly released guidelines to implement Proposition 57 — “impermissibly restricts and impairs the scope” of the initiative. Full Article
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SB 26 Added to Suspense File
The Senate Appropriations Committee added Senate Bill 26 (SB 26) to its Suspense File during its hearing on May 15. The Committee is expected to decide whether to keep SB 26 in that file during its final hearing on May 25. If the bill is not removed from the Suspense File on that date, SB 26 can not move forward. So far, SB 26 has been amended four times — on March 20, April 5, April 18 and May 20 — by its author Senator Connie Leyva. As currently written, some registrants who are parents would…
Read MoreAssembly Appropriations Delays Consideration of AB 558
During its hearing yesterday, the Assembly Appropriations Committee delayed consideration of AB 558 by placing the bill in its Suspense File. The bill may or may not be heard during the Committee’s final hearing on May 26. If the Committee does not hear the bill on that date, the bill will not move forward to the floor of the Assembly or to the Senate. “As currently written, AB 558 would require the addition of information regarding thousands of registrants to the public Megan’s Law website with no corresponding benefit to…
Read MoreConsideration of Tiered Registry Bill Delayed (SB 421)
Senator Scott Wiener, author of the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 421), has waived presentation regarding that bill on May 15, the original date on which the Senate Appropriations Committee was scheduled to consider the bill. Due to this waiver, SB 421 will be placed in the committee’s Suspense File and will not be considered until May 25. According to staff in the office of Sen. Wiener, there is uncertainty regarding the estimate cost of implementing the Tiered Registry Bill. The estimated cost is expected to be revealed in a Budget…
Read MoreAppropriations Committees to Consider AB 558, SB 26 and SB 421
Three bills of great importance to registrants and their loved ones will be heard soon by the relevant Assembly or Senate Appropriations Committees. The Assembly Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider AB 558 (internet exclusions) on May 10 and the Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider both SB 26 (school campus visits) and SB 421 (tiered registry) on May 15. Due to the large number of bills to be considered on each of those dates, the committee hearings will begin at 9 a.m. and could end at 5 p.m.…
Read MoreCalifornia Inmates Decry Changes to Voter-Backed Early Release Plan
With the support of Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown and voters, California is preparing to overhaul decades-old determinate-sentencing laws and make thousands of nonviolent inmates eligible for early parole…. With the department planning to start determining parole eligibility on July 1, a civil rights group claims in state court that prisons officials cunningly tweaked the voter-approved measure and are planning to categorically exempt inmates incarcerated for nonviolent crimes that require them to register with the state as a sex offender. Source Related Newly Filed Lawsuit Challenges CDCR Regs for Prop 57
Read MoreNewly Filed Lawsuit Challenges CDCR Regs for Prop 57
A lawsuit was filed on April 27 challenging regulations recently issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) which prohibit the beneficial effects of Proposition 57 from applying to anyone convicted of a sex offense. Those benefits include shorter prison terms that result from earning credit for good behavior as well as participation in rehabilitative, educational and career training programs. “Most registrable sex offenses are not violent offenses according to existing state law,” stated attorney Janice Bellucci. “Therefore, CDCR’s regulations have no legal foundation and are unlawful.” The lawsuit, filed in…
Read MoreNew Author Announced for Tiered Registry Bill
Senator Scott Wiener (Democrat, San Francisco) has agreed to author the Tiered Registry Bill. As part of that decision, the Senator gutted a prior bill he previously introduced, Senate Bill 421, and amended that bill with the language of the original Tiered Registry Bill. “We thank Senator Scott Wiener for his courage in deciding to be the new author of the Tiered Registry Bill,” stated Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “His decision could increase public safety by making more efficient use of government resources.” The Tiered Registry Bill recently attracted the…
Read MoreAssembly’s Public Safety Committee Passes AB 558
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today passed Assembly Bill (AB 558). If this bill becomes law, individuals convicted of misdemeanor sex offenses as well as those convicted of similar offenses would be added to the public Megan’s Law website. The Committee vote was made after testimony in opposition to the bill from the ACLU, ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci and 17 ACSOL members. The sole member of the Committee who voted against the bill was Bill Quirk who said that the registry is already too long to be useful. Before…
Read MoreTemecula City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Temecula City Council, in a vote of 4 to 1, approved the repeal of the city’s residency restrictions during its regularly scheduled meeting on April 11. The repeal is to take effect immediately and no further City Council is required. According to a city staff report, the city’s decision to repeal was based upon a March 2015 decision by the California Supreme Court which determined that blanket residency restrictions applied to all registrants, regardless of offense or the amount of time passed since the conviction, violated the Constitution. The City…
Read MoreACSOL Conference to Identify Solutions to Daily Challenges Faced by Registrants
ACSOL will host a conference on June 16 and 17 in Los Angeles focused upon solutions to daily challenges faced by U.S. registrants, family members, and those who support them. The conference will address topics of interest to registrants and family members throughout the nation such as housing, employment, domestic and international travel, parole and probation conditions, as well as post-conviction relief. “This conference was created for you, the registrant and your family members. It was not created for professionals in this field. You will be immersed in a supportive…
Read MoreSenate Schools Bill (SB 26) Amended – HEARING April 25
HEARING DATE: April 25 – Senate Public Safety Committee at 8:30 a.m. in Room 3191 (as of 4/8) Sen. Connie Leyva has amended again Senate Bill 26 (SB 26) which would affect whether and when registrants could visit school campuses. As amended, the bill would require registrant parents to be supervised by a school official when they visit a school campus. In addition, the bill would limit visits by registrants who are not parents to times when students are not present. “The bill, as amended, would harm children by effectively denying…
Read MoreInternet Exclusion Bill (AB 558) Hearing Scheduled on April 18
The internet exclusion bill, AB 558, is scheduled to be considered by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on April 18. The committee hearing will begin at 8:30 a.m. in Room 126 and include consideration of more than 30 pending bills. “This bill must be stopped,” stated ACSOL executive director Janice Bellucci. “If the bill becomes law, families will be harmed and victims will be re-victimized.” AB 558 was previously scheduled for a hearing on March 28, however, the bill was pulled from consideration by its author. The Assembly Public Safety…
Read MoreACSOL to Lead Lobbying Effort in Sacramento on March 20 and 21
ACSOL will lead the next lobbying effort in the State Capitol on March 20 and March 21. The focus of the effort will be pending legislation, including the Tiered Registry Bill (SB 695). Meetings will begin on Monday, March 20, at 9 a.m. in the ACSOL offices at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, Sacramento. Training will be provided and all participants will be divided into teams that include registrants, family members and supporters. For questions or comments, please contact Carl at cm [at] californiarsol [dot] org.
Read MoreSeal Beach Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Seal Beach City Council voted last night in favor of repealing its residency restrictions. The vote was taken based upon a recommendation to repeal by the City Manager which noted that residency restrictions are ineffective and have been stricken down at the state level. The City Council is expected to consider this issue a second time during its next meeting on March 27 and the repeal would be in effect 30 days later. “This is a significant victory for registrants and members of their families,” stated ACSOL Executive Director…
Read MoreAssembly Bill 558 (ML Web Site Exclusion) – Hearing Postponed Indefinitely
UPDATE 3/27: AB 558 hearing has been postponed indefinitely. Update: AB 558 is scheduled for hearing by the Assembly Public Safety Committee on March 28. Public Safety Committee contact info below. Update 3/15: The hearing scheduled for March 21 has been postponed indefinitely. Update 3/10: March 21 at 9 a.m. in Room 126 of the State Capitol. Please join us to speak in opposition to the bill. Plan to spend the entire morning there as it is one of many bills to be considered that morning. Assembly Bill 558, which would significantly…
Read MoreSex offender sues Ventura school district
A registered sex offender who committed his crime 27 years ago has sued the Ventura Unified School District over a district policy that forbids him from taking his child to and from her elementary school. Full Article
Read MoreNEW: Receive ACSOL News / Action Alerts via Text Message
Stay in the loop with ACSOL news and events! Starting immediately, ACSOL alerts will be distributed via SMS Text message, in addition to the existing email option. Enter your e-mail address in the right sidebar —> or below for email alerts, or text the word acsolalerts to 25827 in order to receive the same alerts as a text message – no computer or smart phone needed.
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