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!
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MURRIETA: Sex offender ‘safety zone’ ordinance repealed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
Read MoreSan Bernardino County to pare down sex-offender ordinance
Registered sex offenders in San Bernardino County will be able to move more freely within their communities after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved repealing restrictions on offender presence and movement in the county’s unincorporated areas. The gutting of the county’s 8-year-old sex offender ordinance would fulfill the terms of a legal settlement between the county and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci, reached in December. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL to Lobby Sacramento in Support of Tiered Registry
California RSOL will lobby state legislators in Sacramento on January 27 and 28 in support of a tiered registry. Registered citizens, family members and supporters are invited. The legislative effort will begin with a two-hour training session on Tuesday, January 27, at 9 a.m. in the offices of MVM Strategy Group, 1211 L Street, Suite 607. Attendees will then be divided into teams comprised of a registered citizen, family member and/or supporters. Participants will attend scheduled meetings with members of the Assembly and Senate as well as senior staff who…
Read MoreSex offender laws loosened
Three cities in San Diego County repealed their laws restricting sex offender access to city parks and schools last year, and one is still working to resolve a lawsuit filed over the now defunct rules. La Mesa, Santee, National City and more than 70 other cities across the state received letters last Spring warning them they could be sued if they didn’t rescind their rules barring registered sex offenders from certain city spaces. Full Article
Read MoreCA RSOL Meeting – February 7 in San Diego
Please join us for the February meeting in San Diego on February 7th, 2015. The meeting will take place at California Western Law School, 225 Cedar Street, in Room LL31 and begin at 10 am. The meeting will cover general topics of interest, as well as specific issues pertinent at meeting time, in addition to offering invaluable opportunities to network with others affected by this issue, as well as activists and professionals. We welcome registrants, friends and family and other supporters to attend. The meeting is off-limits to media and…
Read MoreSan Bernardino County, Victorville revise sex offender ordinances after civil rights lawsuits
San Bernardino County and the city of Victorville have settled lawsuits with a civil rights attorney challenging the constitutionality of both municipalities’ sex offender ordinances. Victorville has agreed to revise its 8-year-old ordinance to conform with state law, which prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within 2,000 feet of a school or park and bans those on parole and whose victims were under the age of 14 from visiting public parks without the express permission of their parole agent. Full Article
Read MoreVictorville to mull sex offender laws [UPDATED]
12/17/2014: Victorville aligns sex offender laws with state VICTORVILLE — The City Council this week reluctantly agreed to align its local ordinance restricting the movements of registered sex offenders with a statewide system already in place. Victorville on Tuesday became one of at least 15 municipalities throughout the state this year to either repeal their ordinances or rewrite them to mirror state law. Others who have done so include Hesperia, Adelanto and Apple Valley. Full Article — VICTORVILLE — Amid a growing precedent and under pressure from a reform activist…
Read MoreProp. 35 belongs in scrap heap of flawed initiatives (Editorial)
California voters could not resist the chance to condemn human trafficking and sex offenders who prowl the Internet. In 2012, they approved Proposition 35, the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act, with 81.3 percent of ballots cast. The vote was as predictable as it was unfortunate. Powerful though it was politically, the initiative is a prime example of why, with rare exceptions, criminal law should not be written by initiative promoters. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals made that clear last week by striking down the Proposition 35 requirement that…
Read MoreOnline rights restored to sex offenders as Prop 35 is struck down (Radio)
The United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals has struck down part of California’s Proposition 35, citing an infringement on free speech that is guaranteed by the First Amendment. Prop 35, a bill put on the ballot via initiated state statute, increased prison terms for human traffickers, required sex traffickers to register as sex offenders, and mandated that all registered sex offenders disclose their internet accounts, among other restrictions. Having been approved by 81% of the state’s electorate, the proposition passed with the highest success rate of any item on…
Read MoreNational City Repeals Sex Offender Ordinance
National City’s lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday night to remove an ordinance restricting predatory sex offenders from parks and other places where children gather. The 2005 rule said convicted sex offenders must stay 300 feet away from schools and parks. So why did the city council make such an unpopular move? Full Article
Read MoreAppellate Court Affirms Decision to Block Enforcement of Prop. 35 Requirements
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today affirmed the decision of a federal district court to block enforcement of Proposition 35 requirements that all registered citizens provide a list of any and all Internet identifiers as well as any and all Internet service providers to law enforcement. California RSOL is a plaintiff in this case and was represented by the San Francisco ACLU as well as the Electronic Frontier Foundation. According to the decision, the requirements violate the 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution in at least three ways: (1)…
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