The California Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) will meet virtually on September 17 starting at 9:30 a.m. and the public is welcome to attend that meeting. In order to attend, you will need to sign up on the board’s website at www.casomb.gov. Once there, click on the “Meetings” tab and sign up. The board will confirm that you have been signed up and even ask if you have a question for the board. Although the board typically meets on a monthly basis, it has not met for several months. Therefore,…
Read MoreCategory: California
CA: Newsom signs SB 145 intended to end discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions
[latimes.com – 9/11/20] SACRAMENTO — Discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions will be outlawed under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom late Friday evening. The measure, Senate Bill 145, will amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older and the adult is not more than 10 years older than the minor. Currently, adults who are convicted of having…
Read MoreCA: In effort to change sex-crimes law, Newsom’s LGBTQ rights record faces a test
[latimes.com – 9/11/20] SACRAMENTO — A California bill intended to prevent discrimination against LGBTQ people in sex crime convictions has captured the attention of Republicans and far-right conspiracy theorists, who are demanding a veto from Gov. Gavin Newsom and say state Democratic leaders are putting teenagers at risk. The measure, Senate Bill 145, would amend existing state law that allows judges to decide whether an adult convicted of having vaginal sexual intercourse with a minor should register as a sex offender in cases in which the minor is 14 years or older…
Read MoreLos Angeles County Agrees to Allow Registrants to Serve as Poll Workers
The Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters has formally agreed to allow registrants to serve as poll workers. As a result of this agreement, the county has removed language from the website of the Registrar of Voters as well as the poll workers application that previously stated registrants were prohibited from serving as poll workers. “This is a significant victory for registrants in Los Angeles County,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Any registrant who is otherwise eligible may now serve as a poll worker in that county during this…
Read MoreCA Legislature Passes Senate Bill 145
On the last day possible, the California legislature passed Senate Bill 145. The bill now goes to the Governor who has up to 30 days to sign or veto it. “Senate Bill 145 has been controversial since its introduction,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Due to the dedication of its author, Senator Scott Wiener, Senate Bill 145 was passed over the objections of the Appropriations Committee chair and despite multiple threats of physical harm.” If the Governor signs the bill, judges will have discretion regarding whether to require an…
Read MoreACSOL Challenges Irvine’s Presence Restrictions in CA
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) today filed a lawsuit challenging presence restrictions in the City of Irvine which were declared to be preempted by state law six years ago. Today’s lawsuit was filed after repeated requests by ACSOL to repeal the unlawful restrictions including a letter sent to the city dated February 13, 2020. “The City of Irvine has acted unlawfully for the past six years by continuing to require some registrants to obtain prior written approval before entering a public park,” stated ACSOL President Chance Oberstein. …
Read MoreCA: Committee Passes SB 145 Despite Chair’s Objection
The Assembly’s Appropriations Committee today passed Senate Bill 145 despite objections to that bill expressed by Committee Chair Lorena Gonzales Fletcher and despite death threats made to its author, Senator Scott Wiener. “We commend Senator Wiener for his courage in the efforts required to obtain passage of Senate Bill 145,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Belulcci. “The Senator faced down not only death threats but also the opposition of the chair of a powerful legislative committee.” Because SB 145 was passed today, it will soon be voted upon by the…
Read MoreACSOL Conference Reorganized as Virtual Conference on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) has reorganized its 2020 conference, “Empowered People Inspiring Change,” so that the entire conference will be held online. Individuals can also attend and participate in the conference by phone. The conference will be held on Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11, from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. PST. Sign up today “ACSOL is excited to present its entire conference this year online and by phone,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “By utilizing two technology platforms, we will be able to…
Read MoreAssembly Appropriations Committee to Consider Senate Bill 145 on August 20
The Assembly Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) on August 20, 2020 on the Assembly floor starting at 10 a.m.. The Committee will consider more than 100 bills during that hearing and seating for the hearing will be very limited. The public can view the hearing on the Assembly’s website at https://www.assembly.ca.gov/todaysevents. If passed, SB 145 would exempt from mandatory registration individuals convicted of certain offenses involving minors if the person is not more than 10 years older than the minor and if that offense…
Read MoreCA: Sex offender registration reform effort prompts death threats to Sen. Scott Wiener
[sfexaminer.com – 8/13/20] An effort by state Sen. Scott Wiener to reform sex offender registration laws and ensure equality for the LGBTQ community has drawn harassment from conspiracy theorists. Wiener, who represents San Francisco, said at a news conference Thursday that the QAnon community has claimed the bill, Senate Bill 145, would protect pedophiles, and even accused him of being a pedophile himself. The bill was introduced by Wiener last year to end what he and other advocates said was a blatant discrimination against LGBTQ youth regarding California’s sex offender…
Read MoreSacramento Caravan: #SayTheirNames & Bring Our Loved Ones Home on Thursday, August 13
[#SayTheirNames] On Thursday, August 13 there will be a #SayTheirNames action at the CA Capitol Building followed by a car caravan to CDCR and a candlelight vigil at night to honor lives lost. For details, read this Facebook page, and click on the graphic at the top of the page. For a schedule, scroll down the Facebook page. Demand a #MoratoriumOnCovidBehindBars: * HONOR the lives of those who have died from COVID-19 behind bars. * EXPOSE how the state continues to threaten the lives of incarcerated people in overcrowded prisons.…
Read MoreCURE California Zoom Meeting August 8 at 11 AM Pacific
[curenational.org] Dear ACSOL friends, please consider joining the weekly California CURE Zoom meeting this Saturday: Saturday, August 8 11:00 AM to noon Pacific See below for how to connect, NEWS FROM LAST WEEK’S MEETING: Gale Sanders, the leader of the California chapter of CURE, had a temporary health problem kept her from being with us last Saturday. I look forward to introducing Gale this Saturday. The three issues shared and discussed were the following: Orla pointed out the need for compassionate releases especially in regard to women incarcerated; Arax said…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: CA Action Alert: It’s Time to Protest Exclusion of Registrants from Prison Releases
In my last column, I implored the California Department of Corrections (CDC) to include registrants in its release of prisoners that began on July 1 due to a growing number of COVID-19 infections in the state’s prisons. Since that time, the number of prisoners infected with COVID-19 has increased dramatically in three of those prisons: San Quentin, Avenal and Chuckwalla. That is why I am writing this column. We cannot and should not stand by while thousands of prisoners, including individuals convicted of a sex offense, are exposed to this…
Read MoreCA: Contact numbers for registrants living in the City of Los Angeles to call in order to register
[ACSOL] Following are contact numbers for registrants living in the City of Los Angeles to call in order to register. Registration in person is no longer required or even possible. Create a written record of the date and time that you call for possible future use. Central Division 213-833-3740 Rampart Division 213-484-3637 Hollenbeck Division 323-342-8994 Northeast Division 323-561-3270 Newton Division 323-846-6576 77th Street Division 323-786-5423 Harbor Division 310-726-7918/-7919 Southeast Division 213-972-7899 Southwest Division 323-276-3658 Valley Bureau 818-374-9675 (San Fernando Valley – 7 patrol divisions) West Bureau 213-473-0404…
Read MoreCA: Court Grants Demurrer in Jurors Case
The Los Angeles Superior Court has granted a demurrer in ACSOL’s challenge to an exclusion of all registrants from serving on a jury. The Court also scheduled a hearing to discuss the future of the case on August 11. “We are gravely disappointed that the court took this action,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “By doing so, the court has made a preliminary decision that the legislature can lawfully prevent anyone convicted of a sex offense, regardless of the type of offense or how long ago it occurred from…
Read MoreCA: Authorities issue warning regarding release of ‘dangerous sex offender’ from Coalinga State Hospital
Officials in Orange County are issuing a warning to county residents regarding the release of a “dangerous sex offender” from Coalinga State Hospital after more than 20 years. County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Michelle Steel are also urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to intervene in the release of ___ ___ ___. They’re also asking that the governor reinstate the requirement that he register as a sex offender. … In 1985, Smith pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor sexual offense involving a child and had to register as…
Read MoreCA: Legislature Considering Changes to Tiered Registry Law
The California legislature is considering changes to the Tiered Registry Law that, if passed, would delay when eligible individuals could petition for removal from the registry. That is, individuals would be required to wait until “on or after their next birthday after July 1, 2021, following the expiration of the person’s mandated minimum registration period.” For example, if an eligible individual’s birthday is July 4, 2021, and he is on Tier 2, he can petition for removal on July 1, 2021. However, if an eligible individual’s birthday is June 30,…
Read MoreCA: California Will Release Up To 8,000 Prisoners Due To Coronavirus
[npr.org – 7/10/20] California will release up to 8,000 prisoners this summer in an effort to create more space and prevent the spread of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 in prisons. News of the plan comes after more than a third of the inmates and staff at the San Quentin State Prison in the San Francisco Bay Area tested positive for the coronavirus. Anyone who is eligible for release will be tested for the coronavirus within seven days of their return to society, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation…
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