California is often labeled the most litigious state, and a rash of lawsuits around the state not only upholds this contention, but threatens the safety of California’s children. Local ordinances defining places where convicted sex offenders may not visit are apparently going the way of the dodo, under an onslaught of legal challenges aimed at expanding the rights of offenders. Two such lawsuits, targeting ordinances in Irvine and Orange County banning convicted sex offenders from visiting city parks and recreational sites, have resulted in those ordinances’ invalidation by a state…
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Tier it up
California is one of only four states that require adults convicted of certain sex crimes to register with local law enforcement each year for life. Crime-free for 50 years? Bedridden? It doesn’t matter. This lifetime requirement has turned California’s registry into the largest in the country. There are roughly 800,000 registered sex offenders in the U.S., and around 100,000 of them live in California. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’ Journal: Behind the Orange Curtain
Orange County continues to be the epicenter for laws that both violate the civil rights of registered citizens as well as decrease public safety. The latest attempt comes in the form of a bill introduced in Sacramento by Assemblyman William Brough of Dana Point (AB 201). If it becomes law, the bill would allow cities and counties to pass any law they wished to restrict where a registered citizen could visit. That could return us all to the former Land of Oz where a registered citizen could legally walk on…
Read More‘It’s about the safety of kids’: Dana Point lawmaker’s bill would ban sex offenders from parks
Orange County’s ban on sex offenders in parks, declared illegal by appellate judges last year, has a new backer: a proposed bill in the state Assembly that would allow cities to enforce restrictions on such criminals. The bill from state Assemblyman Bill Brough, R-Dana Point, aims to prohibit sex offenders from going to parks and beaches without written permission from the sheriff or local police chief. The bill’s co-authors include Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach. “At the end of the day, it’s about the safety of kids,” said Brough, a…
Read MorePeaceful Protest to be held in the City of Carson on March 7
California RSOL will lead a peaceful protest in the City of Carson on Saturday, March 7, in order to highlight the harm done by the city’s sex offender ordinance. That ordinance bans registered citizens from being present in or within 300 feet of public places including the library, parks and swimming pools as well as private places including fast food restaurants that have a children’s playground. The peaceful protest will begin at Carson City Hall at 10 a.m. near the water fountain. Registered citizens, family members, and all who support…
Read MoreCity Council takes action on sex offender ordinance
Canyon Lake, CA – California has the highest rate of sexual offenders in the nation. The Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act, also known as Jessica’s Law, was passed by California voters on November 7, 2006. One of the major provisions of Proposition 83 limits where sex offenders may live. This measure prohibits any person required to register as a sex offender from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park. Full Article List of Presence Restrictions Lawsuits
Read MoreCritics of Carson’s sex offender laws say they are too strict
For Frank Lindsay, the city of Carson feels like an obstacle course whenever he visits his relatives. He makes sure to stay clear of all city parks. If he’s hungry, he avoids the local McDonald’s, which includes a playground for toddlers. The library, where children have reading time, is off-limits. So is the local mall, which has a play lighthouse for youngsters to climb. Full Article
Read MoreLawsuits leave us more vulnerable to sex offenders (Opinion)
Inland dwellers take note: unless state lawmakers take action, registered sex offenders will likely have a great deal more leeway in choosing where they live and congregate in the very near future. Santa Maria civil rights attorney and one plaintiff, a 62-year-old registered sex offender, have been on a tear over the past year, challenging ordinances up and down the state that bar sex offenders from living near schools, parks, libraries and other public places where children might be. Full Article
Read MoreState AG won’t appeal sex offender provision struck down by court (Prop 35)
Attorney General Kamala Harris says she will not ask the Supreme Court to let California enforce a voter-approved law that would require more than 70,000 sex offenders to disclose their Internet identities to police, a decision that apparently means the law will not take effect. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Buckle your Seatbelts
There are 3 significant events expected during the next 30 days: introduction of a tiered registry bill in Sacramento, two California Supreme Court decisions regarding residency restrictions and an attempt to make peace with the City of Carson. What occurs during this 30-day period will significantly impact every person required to register as a sex offender in California. First, there currently is a draft tiered registry bill supported by the California Sex Offender Management Board for which an author is being sought. The draft bill is reported to be consistent…
Read MoreSave the Date: March 7 at 10 a.m. – L.A. County
California RSOL will host an important event on March 7 at 10 a.m. in Los Angeles County. The details of that event — including specific location — will be disclosed “soon”. The event is open to registered citizens, their loved ones and anyone else who supports the cause of protecting the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of registered citizens. We hope to see you there!
Read MoreMURRIETA: Sex offender ‘safety zone’ ordinance repealed
They weren’t happy about it, but all five members of the Murrieta City Council voted this week in favor of repealing an ordinance that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter near areas frequented by children. Full Article
Read MoreMURRIETA: City may repeal Child Safety Zone Ordinance
The Murrieta City Council this week will consider repealing an ordinance approved in 2009 that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter within 300 feet of an area frequented by children: parks, arcades, swimming pools, skateboard parks, etc. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: A Reflection on Hofsheier
The California Supreme Court continues to bludgeon registered citizens with decisions that deny their civil rights. In the latest in a string of misguided decisions, the Court stripped away another fundamental right – the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution – by deciding that individuals convicted of oral copulation with a minor should be required to register as a sex offender for life while individuals convicted of intercourse with a minor should not be required to register at all. The Court’s reason for this decision is difficult for even…
Read MoreSex-Offender Laws to Be Weakened
Prompted by two adverse appellate court decisions and a lawsuit springing from them, the board of supervisors on Tuesday gave tentative approval to amendments to the county code that would strike down certain provisions defining where registered sex offenders may visit when children are present. The changes, due for a final vote on Feb. 10, would repeal the so-called “presence” provisions in the county code, language that prevents sex offenders from being within 300 feet of various locations where children might congregate. Full Article
Read MoreAssembly Bill Would Authorize Cities, Counties to Adopt Presence Restrictions
Assemblyman William P. Brough introduced Assembly Bill 201 on January 29 that, if passed, would authorize cities and counties to pass laws that restrict where registered citizens may be present. Brough is a Republican member of the Assembly from Oange County. “This bill attempts to reverse decisions of the California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court made in 2014,” stated California RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “The bill would also reverse the positive results of lawsuits filed last year in federal district courts.” During 2014, a total of 26 lawsuits were…
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Successfully Lobbies Sacramento In Support of Tiered Registry
Twenty-three individuals, including six board members, lobbied in support of a tiered registry in Sacramento on January 27 and 28. Although a tiered registry bill has not yet been introduced, the lobbying effort focused upon the need for a tiered registry that would distinguish between and among those convicted of sex offenses during the registry’s 68 years of existence. Current law requires virtually everyone convicted of a sex offense to register for a lifetime regardless of the severity of the offense for which they were convicted or their current risk…
Read MoreCounty wants local control back to govern sex offenders
SAN BERNARDINO — The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is pressing for control to govern how it deals with registered sex offenders after it voted this week to repeal its own ordinance and give precedence to California law. “The Board knows how to protect the most vulnerable people in our society,” Board Chairman James Ramos said in a statement. “We want to return control back to local jurisdictions.” Full Article
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