Source: kmph.com 4/8/26 EXPIRES 4/21/26! FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — A California parole program designed to give elderly inmates a second chance is now under scrutiny, as several convicted sex offenders granted early release are choosing Fresno as their destination. The state’s Elderly Parole Program allows certain inmates to be considered for release at age 50 after serving at least 20 years. While those sentenced to death or life without parole are excluded, critics say the law is still allowing dangerous offenders back into communities. … Click here to see the article,…
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CA: Judge’s SORNA ruling protects due process rights of Californians caught in federal registration trap
Source: Pacific Legal Foundation 4/10/26 Also read Janice’s comments On April 9, a federal judge issued a permanent injunction blocking the Department of Justice from prosecuting California residents under a federal sex-offender registration law without first confirming with the state that those individuals are required to register in the first place. PLF represents a group of plaintiffs who are caught in a bind created by conflicting federal and state law. Each had been convicted of a sex offense, served their punishment, been rehabilitated, and earned removal from California’s registry through expungement…
Read MoreCA: Court Overturns Former El Cajon Teacher’s Sex Crimes Conviction
Source: nationaltoday.com 3/30/26 Appellate panel reverses charges against Gerald Lopez, says evidence was insufficient to support child pornography conviction. A state appellate court panel has vacated sexual misconduct charges against a former Granite Hills High School teacher, Gerald Lopez, who was accused of engaging with a minor student in 2022. The court reversed Lopez’s conviction on a child sex abuse material possession charge and a charge of child molestation, but said he can be retried for child molestation. Why it matters This case highlights the complexities around prosecuting teacher-student…
Read MoreCA: Auburn man’s decades-long child porn sentence vacated on appeal
Source: fingerlakes1.com 4/5/26 A decades-long prison sentence for an Auburn man tied to a massive child pornography case just got wiped away on appeal, according to The Citizen. Darryl M. Overstreet, had been serving time after a 50-count indictment. An appeals court vacated his sentence last month, citing a legal error during sentencing. … Read the full article
Read MoreCA: State finds ‘systemic’ failures in how a California school district handles sex abuse allegations
Source: calmatters.org 3/20/26 A Southern California school district agreed to sweeping reforms Friday in settling a state attorney general investigation into how it handled allegations staff sexually abused students. The wide-ranging stipulated judgment with the El Monte Union High School District draws to a close an 18-month investigation, which found “systemic shortfalls in the district’s response to allegations and complaints of sexual harassment, assault, and abuse of students.” The investigation was spurred by a 2023 article in Business Insider, The Predators’ Playground, which documented decades of sexual misconduct by teachers, coaches and other…
Read MoreCA: Sacramento sheriff launches ballot plan to block early release of sex predators
Source: msn.com 3/25/26 Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper announced a new ballot initiative that would revise Proposition 57 to prohibit sexually violent predators from being eligible for early parole. Saying the state’s independent parole board has “too much unfettered power,” Cooper said the “only way to reform Prop. 57 is to take it back to the voters. That’s why we’re choosing a ballot initiative.” Cooper, who was elected to the post in 2022 after 8 years in the Assembly, said he aims to qualify the measure, “Protect Our Kids: Reform…
Read MoreCA: Animal Abusers Will Go On Public Offender List Under Proposed CA Law
Source: patch.com 3/25/26 The proposed bill aims to protect vulnerable animals by establishing a public registry for individuals convicted of felony animal abuse. A new bill would establish a public registry for people convicted of felony animal abuse in California. The bill was introduced by Assemblymember Matt Haney (D–San Francisco) on Tuesday, and similar to the Megan’s Law website for registered sex offenders, AB 2344 would create a California Animal Abuse Registry for adults convicted of felony animal abuse. It would be run by the state’s Department of Justice.…
Read MoreCA: Starbucks Fired Clovis Sex Offender. Now He’s Suing.
Source: gvwire.com 3/16/26 For eight years, Samuel Garza III worked at Starbucks in Clovis without any disciplinary actions. His colleagues respected him, the store named him “Employee of the Month,” and he was even tasked with training new employees, he says in court documents. When his manager discovered he was a registered sex offender, the company fired him in June 2025. The allegations come in a lawsuit filed by Garza, claiming the company knew of his past and that he was protected by state law. Garza filed the civil lawsuit Feb.…
Read MoreCA: Fresno looks into banning sex offenders from city council meetings
Source: yourcentralvalley.com 3/17/26 FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The City of Fresno is looking into banning sex offenders from attending city council meetings and installing facial recognition technology to enforce it. This comes after a registered sex offender attempted to run for the District 7 seat. Rene Campos filed earlier this month but didn’t get enough required signatures to appear on the ballot. But voters can still write in his name. “I mean, I never thought the voters would actually support someone like that,” said Fresno City Councilmember Mike Karbassi. At the next city council meeting…
Read MoreCA: Fresno Surprising poll results: Should someone who is a registered sex offender be allowed to run for public office?
Source: kmph.com 2/27/26 Local leaders and the community have been in an uproar after a candidate was revealed to have a record as a registered sex offender. Several Fresno city leaders spoke out Thursday at City Hall over the candidacy of Rene Campos, a registered sex offender running for Fresno City Council District 7. … Click here to read the surprising results Click here to read Florida Action Committee’s comments
Read MoreCA: Former attorney found guilty of 24 counts involving sexual abuse of minors
Source: abajournal.com 3/11/26 A former California attorney was recently convicted of sexually abusing three minor girls over several years and possessing sexually explicit images of two of his victims. Former Walnut Creek, California, real estate attorney Jonathan Dean Bishop, 51, was found guilty March 2 of 24 felony counts for performing lewd acts on girls younger than age 14, identified in court documents as “Jane Doe #1,” “Jane Doe #2” and “Jane Doe #3.” According to a March 3 press release from the… Read the full article
Read MoreCA: Registrant Withdraws from Fresno City Council Election
Source: ACSOL Rene Campos, a registrant, has withdrawn from the Fresno City Council election. The reason for his withdrawal is an inability to obtain 20 signatures from voters. “The fact that Mr. Campos was unable to obtain the necessary signatures to run for Fresno City Council is due in large part to a coordinated campaign to discredit him,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “At least one City Council member as well as other prominent members of that community bullied Mr. Campos as well as voters who might have signed…
Read MoreCA: Nonprofit vows to fight proposed California ban on sex offenders in public office
Source: fresnobee.com 3/4/26 An advocacy group is threatening to file a lawsuit challenging a proposal to ban registered sex offenders from running for public office in California with the intent to block a Fresno City Council candidate’s campaign. Spurred by the crowded District 7 race that includes Rene Campos, a registered sex offender, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria said she will amend an existing bill, AB 2753, to include language prohibiting any registered sex offender in California from running for state or local office. Five Fresno City Council members also said last…
Read MoreCA: Asm. Soria Plans to Amend AB 2753 Preventing Registered Sex Offenders from Running for Public Office in California
Source: yahoo.com for ABC30 3/4/26 Candidate hopeful Rene Campos, a registered sex offender who was convicted of possession of child sex abuse material in 2018, finds himself at the center of yet another legislative push for stricter laws. Tuesday, Assemblywoman Esmeralda Soria of Merced introduced a bill that would block registered sex offenders from running or holding any local or state public office. “It was very disturbing to hear the news that we would have in the City of Fresno, the fifth largest city in the State of California, have…
Read MoreCA: California school files police report after sex offender, city hall candidate, holds event near campus
Source: desertsun.com 3/3/26 Officials at a Fresno elementary school filed a police report after a City Council candidate who is a registered sex offender held a news conference across the street from the campus during weekday afternoon hours, raising questions about public safety and who is legally allowed to run for and serve in public office in California. Rene Campos, 41, a candidate in Fresno’s District 7 City Council race, held the press conference Friday afternoon outside Saint John’s Cathedral in downtown Fresno, according to reporting by The Fresno Bee. The church sits directly…
Read MoreCA: Public Safety Committee Approves AB 1568 Despite Lack of Support
Source: ACSOL The CA Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today approved AB 1568 despite a lack of support for that bill. In direct contrast, 24 people including ACSOL leaders and members as well as leaders of other organizations voiced their opposition to the bill. “The petitioning process under the Tiered Registry Bill is not broken and therefore it does not to be fixed,” ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci testified. “The petitioning process is working well as evidenced by the fact that about 12,000 petitions have been filed so far. Of that…
Read MoreCA: Thousands brace for fallout from unreported LA County criminal convictions
Source: dailynews.com 3/1/26 More than 100,000 felonies may not have appeared during background checks with the state Department of Justice Nearly 330,000 people whose convictions in Los Angeles County went unreported for decades will soon have their rap sheets updated and, potentially, their employers notified for the first time. Some could lose their jobs if the conviction would have disqualified them from the position they have, while others may have professional licenses revoked or firearms confiscated, experts say. The massive update to criminal histories follows the discovery of an error…
Read MoreCA: Two Large Organizations Join ACSOL in Opposing AB 1568
Source: ACSOL In addition to ACSOL, two large organizations have formally filed their opposition to AB 1568 which, if passed, could block thousands of registrants from petitioning for removal from the registry. The organizations are California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ) and Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC). Letters from both organizations are similar (see them at the bottom of this article), but not the same as, the opposition letter filed by ACSOL. According to CACJ, passage of SB 1568 would set a dangerous legislative precedent that other elected…
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