[calaverasenterprise.com – 9/25/19] Seventeen inmates at the Calaveras County Jail have announced their plan to initiate a hunger strike in protest of “outrageous prices” for telephone calls and commissary items including soup and ramen noodles. “Not only are we afflicted, but our families as well,” the inmates wrote in a letter to the Enterprise. “We have made attempts at every other level to have this situation resolved, to no avail. We are hoping that the public can get involved and know the real situation that is going on here.” advertisement…
Read MoreCategory: California
CA: Can Sex Offenders Legally Live Next Door To Schools?
[sacramento.cbslocal.com – 9/19/19] An Olivehurst Grandmother is furious after learning that a sex offender is living just feet away from her neighborhood elementary school. “I’m concerned about people not being aware of the sex offenders in the area,” said Robyn Gorham. Gorham says she was stunned to find out how many sex offenders lived just down the street from Cedar Lane Elementary, where her grandson is set to attend. “There are parents here and I don’t think they’re aware of what’s right in our neighborhood,” said Gorham. A quick search…
Read MoreACSOL Makes Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board
ACSOL President Chance Oberstein and ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci made a presentation to the California Sex Offender Management Board during the board’s monthly meeting on September 19. During their presentation, the ACSOL leaders informed the board about changes needed to the Tiered Registry and asked the board to support those changes. Also during the meeting, CASOMB members reported on the number of registrants in the state. The Tiered Registry should be modified to allow individuals convicted of child pornography (CP) offenses to be removed from Tier 3 which requires…
Read MoreCA: Georgia Couple Posed as L.A. County Deputies to Scam Victims Out of $16K in Gift Cards
A couple from Georgia posed as Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies in a telephone fraud scheme and scammed six people out of $16,000 in gift cards, the department said Monday. Nicolas Brady Kennedy, 29, and Ashley Marie Walker, 28, both of Loganville, Georgia, made a series of phone calls mostly targeting the elderly in Northern Los Angeles County, Sheriff’s Chief Patrick Nelson said at a news conference. Full Article
Read MoreSan Diego To Enter Settlement Talks In Sex Offender Residency Lawsuit
San Diego City Council members on Tuesday will get their first official update in two years on a lawsuit challenging a city law that restricts where sex offenders can live. In August 2017, council members went against advice from the City Attorney’s Office and refused to repeal an ordinance banning sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools, parks and other minor-oriented facilities. The city has not enforced the law since 2009 because of previous challenges to its constitutionality. Full Article
Read MoreCA: City of Lomita Repeals Residency Restrictions
The City of Lomita, which is located in Los Angeles county, has repealed its residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living permanently or temporarily within 2,000 feet of schools and parks as well as 300 feet from child care centers. As a result of the restrictions, registrants were unable to stay even one night in a hotel or motel in the City of Lomita. The Lomita City Council repealed the city’s residency restrictions during a regularly scheduled meeting on September 3. The repeal will become effective on October 2. “Registrants…
Read MoreCA: Recalled Judge Who Gave Stanford U Sex Offender Slap on the Wrist Fired as Girls Tennis Coach
The California judge who got ousted from the bench in a recall after he handed out a light sentence to a Stanford University student convicted of sexual assault is now out of yet another job, that of high school girls tennis coach. Former Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky was hired at the start of the school year to coach girls junior varsity tennis at Lynbrook High School in San Jose, Calif., according to the San Francisco Chronicle. But after word got out, and complaints came in, about…
Read MoreCA: City of Commerce Repeals Local Residency Restrictions
[ACSOL] The City of Commerce, located in Los Angeles County, has repealed its local residency restrictions. The repeal took place during a City Council meeting held on September 3. The City Council’s actions took place after its residency restrictions were challenged in Los Angeles Superior Court in a lawsuit filed April 22. This lawsuit is 1 of 37 lawsuits filed thus far challenging residency restrictions adopted by cities and counties in California. Prior to filing of this lawsuit, ACSOL warned the City of Commerce in a letter that the city’s…
Read MoreCA: Democrats incur LGBTQ wrath over sex offender registry bill SB 145
[losangelesblade.com – 9/6/19] During a week of flurry before Labor Day, the California Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees determined which final legislation to pass to the floor for votes and which to suspend for this session. At the end of the day on Friday, Aug. 30, one bill superseded the usual drama to create a pall over California Democratic unity as LGBTQ legislators and advocates expressed outrage that purported supporters used anti-LGBTQ messaging to woo electoral votes in 2020. … However, in a move that infuriated LGBTQ advocates and law…
Read MoreCA: Scammers Target Los Angeles Registrants, Families [UPDATED 9/2019]
UPDATED SEPTEMBER 2019: THIS SCAM IS STILL ACTIVE. PLEASE READ BELOW. Aug 4, 2018: Scammers, who often pose on the phone as law enforcement officials, are threatening registrants with arrest and demanding immediate payment of sums up to $3,000 in order to avoid jail or prison. There are reports of this occurring during the past week in at least two different cities in Los Angeles County — Upland and Lawndale. According to the reports, the scammers have told registrants that they either failed to register or registered improperly. For example,…
Read MoreCA: Police: Men Mistook Homeless Man for Sex Offender, Beat Him to Death
[fox40.com – 9/2/19] MODESTO — Police in Modesto say two men beat a homeless man to death with their bare hands after mistaking him for a sex offender. Those who knew him say 63-year-old Jace Decker was often found sitting on a bench in Garrison Park. “He minded his own business for the most part. He just was going through his own life struggles and different adversities,” friend Donnie Bibbs said. Acquaintances say Decker was a husband with a broken heart. “Pretty decent life and everything and, now, I think…
Read MoreCA: Appeals court grants new trial to sexually violent predator because of prosecutorial misconduct
A convicted violent sexual predator will get a new chance for controlled release from a state hospital because of prosecutorial misconduct, a state appellate court ruled this week. Full Article Decision
Read MoreCA: Committee Converts, But Does Not Approve SB 145
The CA Assembly’s Appropriations Committee today converted Senate Bill 145 into a two-year bill, but did not approve the bill as currently written. Therefore, the bill could be amended as late as September 2020. “Unfortunately, it is not a surprise that the Appropriations Committee today failed to approve Senate Bill 145,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “We will watch carefully to ensure that if the bill is amended, new language does not harm registrants or their families.” SB 145 was amended earlier this year in a way that could…
Read MoreCA: Senate Bill Amendment Excludes Registrants from Juries
Senate Bill 310, which would expand the number of individuals eligible to serve on a jury, was amended this week in a way that prohibits anyone convicted of a felony sex offense from that service. The bill was amended on August 26 as it was being considered by the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee. “Once again, state legislators have thrown people convicted of a sex offense under the bus,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Registrants are citizens and therefore should be allowed to serve on a jury.” Significantly the bill would…
Read MoreCA Appropriations Committee to Consider Senate Bill 145
[ACSOL] The CA Assembly’s Appropriations Committee is scheduled to give final consideration to Senate Bill 145 and more than 200 additional bills on August 30. The committee hearing will be held in Room 4202 of the State Capitol at a time yet to be determined. The author of SB 145, Senator Scott Wiener, is also author to another dozen bills to be considered by the committee that day. The topics of those bills range from unlawful entry of a vehicle (SB 23) to cannabis donations (SB 34). If SB 145…
Read MoreCA: Sacramento County Office of Education Annual Adult Re-Entry Resource Fair on Oct 4
The Sacramento County Office of Education Annual Adult Re-Entry Resource Fair, hosted by the Sacramento Community Based Coalition (SCBC), will be held: Friday, October 4th 11:00am – 1:00pm Sacramento Community Based Coalition 10170 Missile Way Mather, CA 95655 The event is geared toward the formerly incarcerated population, giving them access to many of our community resources and providers, all in one location. Participating organizations will be exposed to hundreds of attendees, looking for support services, information, employment, and assistance from community organizations. We look forward to seeing you there! Includes…
Read MoreCA: City of Lompoc to Repeal Residency Restrictions
[ACSOL] The City of Lompoc, located in Santa Barbara County, is expected to finalize repeal of its residency restrictions during a City Council meeting on August 20. The City Council took the first step toward repeal on August 6. “Residency restrictions in the City of Lompoc prohibit individuals convicted of a sex offense from staying overnight for even one night,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This prohibition includes staying in the home of a friend or a relative as well as hotels and motels and even camping.” Lompoc’s repeal…
Read MoreCommittee to Consider SB 145 on August 14
The Appropriations Committee of the California Assembly will consider Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) on August 14. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. in Room 4202 of the State Capitol. “During that hearing, the Appropriations Committee will consider more than 100 bills,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “Because the hearing will not include public testimony, ACSOL is not requesting registrants and their supporters to attend this hearing.” The Appropriations Committee will consider the most recent version of SB 145, approved by the Public Safety Committee, which no longer…
Read More