On Feb. 7th, Fullerton City Council unanimously repealed an unconstitutional ordinance. The city ordinance, No. 3149, made it a misdemeanor for sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of daycares, schools and parks. The state law the city now defers to will allow any sex offender not on parole or specifically prohibited by the court to live anywhere they wish. While the repealing of the ordinance is constitutional, it still puts children in more danger. Full Article
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Senate Education Committee to Hear Schools Bill on March 8 [UPDATED 2]
***UPDATE 2: The hearing for this bill (see below) has been postponed indefinitely. We will post any new date as soon as we become aware of it. *3/1/2017)*** ***UPDATE: letters regarding this bill addressed to Senate Education Committee Chairman Ben Allen can be sent by E-mail, which saves postage and time. The E-mail address is for staffer Irma Kam is [email protected]. *** The Senate Education Committee is scheduled to consider Senate Bill 26 (SB 26) on March 8. This is the first of two committees slated to consider the bill which would…
Read MoreACSOL Board Selects Janice Bellucci as Executive Director; Elects Chance Oberstein as President
The board of directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has selected Janice Bellucci to serve as its first Executive Director. The ACSOL board of directors subsequently elected Chance Oberstein to replace Bellucci as President. “I am honored to serve as the first Executive Director of ACSOL,” stated Bellucci. “In that capacity, I will be responsible for conducting the day-to-day business of the organization including advocacy in the State Capitol.” Prior to his election as President of ACSOL, Oberstein served as Vice President of the organization for…
Read MoreMurrieta City Council Revises Residency Restrictions
The Murrieta City Council unanimously voted in favor of revising its residency restrictions on February 21. When it becomes effective, the revised ordinance will apply only to registrants on parole who live within 1,000 feet of schools and parks. The revised ordinance also limits the number of registrants who can live in individual housing units and creates exceptions for some disabled registrants. “The revised residency restrictions adopted by the City Council tonight will violate the Constitution and be inconsistent with recent decisions by the California Supreme Court,” stated ACSOL Executive…
Read MoreReason Magazine Questions IML Decision, Other Federal Government Actions
The April 2017 issue of Reason magazine is focused upon federal government actions that result in harm to registrants and their families. The magazine is currently available by subscription only and can be obtained at a price of $15 for an annual digital subscription at www.reason.com. The magazine includes a discussion of our challenge to the International Megan’s Law (IML) and includes accurate statements about the lawsuit and some of its plaintiffs starting on page 34. The article also criticizes the judge’s decision and concludes with the following statement: “What’s…
Read MoreLegal action sways council in sex offender housing decision
Fullerton City Council unanimously voted to repeal a municipal code that imposed housing restrictions on child sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreLawsuits target California cities for residential restrictions on sex offenders
The City of Fullerton will consider repealing residency restrictions on sex offenders at its Tuesday City Council meeting. The city currently prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within 2,000 ft. of any school, park or day care center. But a 2015 California Supreme Court decision struck down similar restrictions in San Diego County, and the decision has been widely interpreted as a rollback of statewide residency restrictions established by voters in 2006 through Proposition 83, known as Jessica’s Law. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: We Have Spoken! We Have Been Heard! We Will Return!
We have spoken! We have been heard! We will return! Those three statements were uttered this week by 36 registrants, family members and supporters who met with elected officials and staffers in the State Capitol in Sacramento. It was the largest group EVER to lobby in support of registrant issues. It was the largest group EVER to describe the challenges faced by registrants and their families. They spoke about how hard it is to find a place to live. Landlords don’t want to rent an apartment to a family because…
Read MoreACSOL Members Conclude Early Lobbying Efforts (update from 1/31)
February 1: After meeting in the offices of all newly elected members of the state legislature as well as members of the Senate Public Safety Committee, more than 35 ACSOL members concluded their early lobbying efforts on January 31. “We educated the newly elected members and staff regarding the need for a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence as well as the harm that could be caused by prohibiting all registrants from visiting all K-12 schools for all reasons,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. The ACSOL members were organized into…
Read MoreInglewood City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Inglewood City Council voted in favor of repealing the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city during its meeting on January 24. The City Council is expected to finalize its decision to repeal the restrictions during its next meeting which is scheduled for January 31. “This is a significant victory for registrants and their families,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “No longer will families be separated by a law that failed to increase public safety and yet violated the Constitution.” If the City…
Read MoreACSOL Makes Formal Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) made a formal presentation to the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) during the board’s monthly meeting on January 19. In its presentation, ACSOL notified CASOMB that it would lobby on both the tiered registry bill and Senate Bill 26. ACSOL told CASOMB that while the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry, it has several serious concerns about the draft tiered registry bill. One of those concerns is the amount of discretion provided to district attorneys to stop the petition…
Read MoreFullerton, Desert Hot Springs to Consider Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The City Councils of Fullerton and Desert Hot Springs are scheduled to consider repeal or revision of the residency restrictions in those cities on January 17. The residency restrictions in both cities were challenged in federal lawsuits filed in September 2016. According to current law in those cities, registrants are prohibited from permanently residing in virtually all parts of the city. In addition, Desert Hot Springs prohibits registrants from residing in that city on a temporary basis. A total of 18 lawsuits have been filed challenging residency restrictions in the…
Read MoreSIGN UP NOW for ACSOL’s 1st Annual Conference – We Are All in This Together (June 16/17)
Join us for ACSOL’s first annual conference on June 16/17 in Los Angeles! The featured speaker will be Emily Horowitz PhD. Emily is a Professor in Sociology and Criminal Justice at St. Frances College in New York and author of the book “Protecting our Kids? How Sex Offender Laws are Failing Us”. She is excited to share with us at the conference the results of a project that reviews 20 years of data regarding the ineffectiveness of sex offender registries. Experience two days full of speakers, presentations and workshops, as…
Read MoreACSOL to Lead Lobbying Effort on Jan. 30 and 31
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will lead a lobbying effort on Jan. 30 and 31 in Sacramento to discuss both the tiered registry bill and a bill that would prohibit all registrants from visiting all schools. Registrants, family members and supporters are welcome to join the effort. Training will be provided on Jan. 30 at 9 a.m. in the ACSOL office at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor, Sacramento. Following training, individuals will be organized into teams in order to meet with elected officials and staff in the…
Read MoreACSOL Board of Directors Determines Initial Positions on Tiered Registry Bill
The Board of Directors for the Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has determined its initial positions on the Tiered Registry Bill. The determinations were made during the board’s meeting on December 8. “After careful consideration of input from registrants, family members and supporters, the ACSOL board of directors has decided that the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The board of directors also decided to oppose the Tiered Registry Bill in its current form because it is…
Read MoreACSOL to Lobby Newly Elected State Legislators – Jan 30/31, 2017
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) will lobby newly elected state legislators in Sacramento on January 30 and 31. Training will be provided to registrants, family members and supporters who lack lobbying experience on January 30 at 9 a.m. at 1215 K Street, 17th Floor. Those with lobbying experience will begin meetings in the offices of the newly elected legislators on the same date and at the same time in the State Capitol. Additional details regarding these activities will be provided on this website in January 2017.
Read MoreAdelanto plans to educate on sex offenders
Facing potential legal consequences if they attempt to locally regulate registered sex offenders who already fall under state scrutiny, city officials said recently they’ll instead plan to seek out meetings with senior political figures and build a framework for educating residents. Full Article City Council Workshop Audio Workshop Agenda
Read MoreCA DOJ Makes Significant Changes to Megan’s Law Website
The California Department of Justice (CA DOJ) recently made significant changes to the state’s Megan’s Law website, including the addition of conviction and release dates on the profiles of about 50,000 registrants. The state agency agreed to add the dates as the result of a lawsuit filed in November 2015 and settled in August 2016. “The recent addition of conviction and release dates is expected to help registrants find better jobs and housing,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Additional conviction and release dates will be added to the website as…
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