Senator Sharon Runner has withdrawn Senate Bill 1021 from further consideration. The bill, which would have allowed local governments to prohibit some registered citizens from living in their cities and counties, was scheduled to be heard on April 19 by the Senate Public Safety Committee. Runner’s withdrawal of the bill is reported to be linked to her failing health, however, it may also be linked to the strong opposition to the bill voiced in letters submitted to the Committee by CA RSOL, the ACLU, the CA Sex Offender Management Board…
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Emotional Support Group to Meet on April 15 [cancelled]
UPDATE: This meeting has been cancelled. Please check this web site for new date. The Emotional Support Group will meet at a different time and at a difference place in April. The meeting, which supports both registrants and their loved ones, will be held on Friday, April 15, beginning at 7 p.m. The new meeting place is 2001 Barrington Avenue, Suite 211, Los Angeles 90025. CA RSOL board member Alex Gittinger will lead the meeting as he has all prior Emotional Support Group meetings. The Emotional Support Group meetings began…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: It’s Over, But It’s Not Over
It’s over, but it’s not over. What do I mean? The hearing for the Preliminary Injunction requested in the International Megan’s Law (IML) case is over. However, our challenge to the IML case is not over. In fact, it has just begun. It is always difficult to argue a motion in federal court. No matter how well you prepare, the judge can and does ask questions for which you are not quite ready. For example, in this week’s hearing the judge asked a question about the use of a passport. …
Read MoreIML Lawsuit – All Media Reports (as of 3/31)
3/31 Judge Asked to Halt Sex Offenders’ Passport Marks (Courthouse News) Attorney: Sex Offender Passport Marker Would Be Dangerous (ABC) 3/30 (post hearing) Attorney: Sex Offender Passport Marker Would Be Dangerous (New York Times / AP) The Latest: Attorney: Sex offender passport marker dangerous (Washington Post / AP) 3/30 (pre hearing) Passport mark for sex offenders law challenged in court (AP) Federal court to hear challenge to “scarlet passport” provision of International Megan’s Law Fear of flying: Sex offenders push back against having unique passports Sex offender passport: Unlawful stigma or valid way to…
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting: May 14, Berkeley [NEW DATE]
Please mark the following dates on your calendars. California RSOL will hold monthly meetings in Berkeley on May 14 (revised date). As always, start time is 10 am and the meetings are expected to last about 2 hours. Join us at the Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut Street in Berkeley on May 14 (new date), at 10 am. Topics of discussion will include general issues facing registrants and their families as well as pertinent current issues, such as the recent International Megan’s Law lawsuit. The meetings are intended for registrants, friends and family,…
Read MoreGoing Nowhere
On February 8, President Obama signed an unnecessary, cruel, and dangerous law. Passed by a unanimous Congress, International Megan’s Law requires the State Department to mark with a “unique identifier” the passport of anyone ever convicted in the United States of a sex crime against a minor. The offense could be sexting or consensual teen lovemaking. It could have happened decades ago or even have been expunged from the person’s record. Full Article Related HR 515 Article Collection
Read MoreCA RSOL to Conduct Monthly Meeting on March 12 in San Diego
California RSOL will conduct a monthly meeting of registrants, family members and supporters in San Diego on March 12. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and be held at California Western Law School, 225 Cedar Street, in downtown San Diego. Janice Bellucci will lead the meeting and discuss the ongoing legal challenge to the International Megan’s Law which requires the addition of a “unique identifier” to the passports of some registrants and notifications to be sent to foreign countries when more registrants plan to travel internationally. Other topics to…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group to Meet on March 5 in L.A.
The Emotional Support Group will meet on Saturday, March 5, starting at 10 a.m. in Los Angeles. The meeting will be held at the ACLU building, 1313 W. 8th Street, and free underground parking is available. Registrants and family members are welcome to participate in this meeting. There is no cost to attend this meeting.
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Silver Linings to the Dark Cloud of the International Megan’s Law
International Megan’s Law is a terrible law. Its notification provisions trap registrants in a country that continues to punish them and its passport provisions expose them to significant risk of harm due to the addition of a “Scarlet letter”. Having said that, however, there is a silver lining to that dark cloud — our community came together and we acted in concert for the first time. We did this by attempting to prevent the International Megan’s Law from being passed by Congress and signed by the President. Hundreds of people…
Read MorePresident Signed HR 515, International Megan’s Law
President Obama signed HR 515 into law on February 8. The law will require federal agencies to notify destination countries that registered citizens are coming to visit as well as to require the Secretary of State to add a “unique identifier” to the passports of some registered citizens. “The President’s decision, if unchallenged, would require the Secretary of State to add a Scarlet Letter to the passports of hundreds of thousands of American citizens,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “Therefore a lawsuit has been prepared and will be filed on February 9 challenging…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: We Must Answer This Grave Injustice to the U.S. Constitution
It took six weeks. Only six weeks for Congress to make a historic decision without any discussion or debate about its significance. That decision is the addition of “unique identifiers” to the passports of U.S. citizens. This has never happened before in the history of our country and has only happened in Nazi Germany and Communist Russia. The U.S. Senate struck the first blow on December 17, 2015, when they adopted an amendment to H.R. 515, International Megan’s Law, under a “suspension of the rules” that significantly limited discussion and…
Read MoreCongress Reschedules HR 515 Vote for February 1 [updated with media]
The U.S. House of Representatives has rescheduled its vote on HR 515, International Megan’s Law, for Monday, February 1. As originally scheduled, the vote will be under a “suspension of the rules” and therefore debate will be limited to no more than 40 minutes and require a 2/3 vote of those present regardless of how many members are in attendance. “There is still time to send E-mails this weekend and to make phone calls on Monday,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The vote on this and seven other bills…
Read MoreCA RSOL to Meet in Berkeley – February 20
California RSOL will meet in Berkeley on February 20 at the Finnish Hall, 1970 Chestnut Street. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m. and last about two hours. The meeting will feature guest speaker Nicole Pittman, an advocate for juvenile sex offenders, and is open to registrants of all ages, family members and supporters. During the meeting, discussion topics will include residency restrictions, international travel and parole/probation conditions. Attendees will also be provided an opportunity to provide input regarding challenges they are currently facing. There is limited free parking available…
Read MoreEmotional Support Group to Meet on Jan. 30 in Los Angeles
The second meeting of the Emotional Support Group for registered citizens and family members will be held on Saturday, January 30, starting at 10 a.m. at the ACLU Building, 1313 W. 8th Street, in Los Angeles. There is no cost to attend and free underground parking is available. The meeting will focus upon emotional challenges that registrants and their family members face in their personal and professional lives. No legal advice will be available during the meeting. Attendance at the meeting is open only to registered citizens and members of…
Read MoreWe Stopped AB 201!
Due to the efforts of registrants, family members and supporters Assembly Bill 201 was stopped today during a Public Safety Committee hearing. During a vote of its members, only 2 of 7 members voted in support of the bill while the remaining 5 members either voted “no” or abstained from voting. “We succeeded today because of letters sent and phone calls made to members of the Public Safety Committee,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “We sincerely thank you all for showing, standing up and speaking up on this important…
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting January 16 – Los Angeles
California RSOL’s first regular monthly meeting in 2016 will take place on January 16, 2016 in Los Angeles. As always, the location is the ACLU Building at 1313 W. 8th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90017. Start time is 10 am. We will focus on current topics, including pending legislation and legal actions as well as offer an opportunity for networking with others. We welcome registrants, friends and family and other supporters to attend. The meeting is off-limits to media and government officials in order to ensure everyone’s privacy. There is…
Read MoreCA State Legislature to Consider Presence Restrictions Bill on Jan. 12
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee has scheduled a hearing on January 12 during which it will consider Assembly Bill (AB) 201. The bill, if passed, would allow local governments to adopt laws that restrict where a registered citizen may be present such as parks, libraries, swimming pools and fast food restaurants. If the bill is passed, the lawsuits filed during the past two years that eliminated presence restrictions in the state of California would be overturned. “We stopped AB 201 in 2015 when we showed up, stood up and spoke up in opposition to this…
Read MoreAttorney Ordered to Reimburse Attorney Fees to Registered Citizen
A Los Angeles attorney was recently ordered to reimburse most, although not all, attorney fees paid by a registered citizen and a family member seeking to obtain relief from registration after an arbitrator from the L.A. County Bar Association found that the clients “were clearly given bad advice”. The attorney in this matter advised his clients that the best available relief from registration was a Writ of Mandate. The attorney also advised his client that he was not eligible to apply for a Certificate of Rehabilitation (COR). The registered citizen paid the attorney a total of $4,500 for…
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