[sfchronicle.com – 4/10/19] Two men who received life sentences for a brutal sexual assault and robbery in Oakland when they were 19 must be given parole hearings during their 25th year in prison, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, striking down a state law that made them ineligible. A California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, one of a series of laws reducing mandatory penalties for youthful offenders, allowed those serving potential life terms for crimes committed when they were 25 or under to be considered for…
Read MoreCategory: California
Public Safety Committees Stop AB 884, Pass SB 145
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today, by a vote of 3 to 4, stopped Assembly Bill 884. Due to the committee’s vote, AB 884 will not receive further consideration. “This is a great victory for more than 40,000 people who would have been moved from Tier 2, which requires 20 years of registration, to Tier 3, which requires lifetime registration, when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This positive result came about because more than 75 people testified today in opposition to the bill.”…
Read MoreCA: Judge Allows San Diego Sex Offender Lawsuit To Proceed
[kpbs.org – 4/1/19] San Diego City Council members are under more pressure to repeal an unenforceable law restricting where sex offenders can live in the city, after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance to proceed. Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz ruled in January against the city’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in 2017 by a group of unnamed sex offenders. The lawsuit rests heavily on a 2015 decision by the California Supreme Court finding blanket restrictions on where all sex offenders can live increase the…
Read MoreCA: Newsom seeks to halt parole for some murderers and serious offenders. What does that signal?
[latimes.com – 3/26/19] ____ liked to suck on the toes of young boys and has spent the last 16 years in prison because of it. A jury convicted him in 2003 at age 32 in a case that shook Newport Beach, where he was a supervisor in the city’s youth recreation program. He was tried on multiple counts of child molestation and sentenced to two concurrent life terms after being caught in the act by a co-worker. Last week — despite an attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop it…
Read MoreCA: Judge Delays Decision on Sexually Violent Predator’s Release Into East County
A judge has delayed a decision to release a man convicted of sexually assaulting several children in the 1980s back into the San Diego community during a hearing Friday morning. Full Article
Read MoreOrganizations Join ACSOL’s Opposition to AB 884
Three organizations have joined ACSOL in its opposition to Assembly Bill 884 by sending formal letters of opposition to the Public Safety Committee. The organizations are Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, East Bay Community Law Center and Root & Rebound. In their letters, the organizations emphasized that Assembly Bill 884 would harm the original Tiered Registry Law which they supported in the past. They also noted the fact that a lifetime registry for all registrants does not increase public safety. “We appreciate the support of these organizations and look forward…
Read MoreALERT! AB 884 will be heard April 9!! Show up, and keep calling and writing. Here is how…
AB 884 will be heard April 9!! Click here to find out how to show up! We need at least 100 people for maximum impact! Please continue calling and writing. Please do so if you haven’t already. Here is the committee’s report: AB 884 – Assy Pub Safe – Analysis – April 2019_00001 Comments regarding the proposed bill start at the bottom of page 4 and a list of supporters and opponents is on page 10 (final page). Please note that there are only 3 supporters, 2 of which are…
Read MoreAssembly’s Public Safety Committee Approves Bill Excluding Registrants
The CA Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today approved Assembly Bill 277 (AB 277) that would provide benefits to all parolees except for those convicted of a sex offense. The committee members voted 6 to 1 in favor of the bill after ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci and nine ACSOL members stated their opposition. “Our main objection to the bill is that it would exclude anyone who has ever been convicted of a sex offense, regardless of whether the offense involved violence or occurred decades ago,” stated Bellucci. “There is no…
Read MoreCA: Many Californians can clear criminal records, but don’t. This bill would make it automatic
[sfchronicle.com – 3/7/19] People arrested or convicted of crimes in California could have their criminal records automatically cleared under a proposed law announced Thursday by San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón and Assemblyman Phil Ting. AB1076 would wipe out eligible convictions for people who have completed local sentences and eliminate many arrest records that have not resulted in convictions. Offenders already are eligible to petition the courts for the relief, but less then 20 percent take advantage of the program, said Ting, D-San Francisco. Under the law, people convicted of…
Read MoreAction Alerts: CA Legislative Committees to Review Important Bills [UPDATED 4/2]
Committees within the California legislature have begun the process of scheduling consideration of bills of importance to registrants and their loved ones. Click on the bills to see what you can do: SB 145: Click here to learn how to SUPPORT SB 145 AB 884: Click here to learn how to OPPOSE AB 884
Read MoreCA: Lackey Bill Would Put Child Support Evaders on Blast
[eastcountytoday.net – 2/27/19] A bill introduced last week by Assemblyman Tom Lackey would call for the State of California to create a website which would list parents who owe more than $5,000 in child support. According to Assembly Bill 1498, it would showcase delinquent parents who have not been making court-ordered child support payments. The website would publicly display: Obligor’s name photograph amount of child support owed. Read more about this proposed registry
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: When Will They Learn?
The CA state legislature began a new two-year session just last month. And in that short period of time, legislators are already heading down the wrong path. What path? The path which identifies all individuals convicted of a sex offense as dangerous and likely to commit a new sex offense. For example, Assemblymember Kevin McCarty who is known for his compassion for those who are or have been incarcerated, introduced a bill (AB 277) that would allow parolees to earn “reintegration credits” that could ultimately allow them to travel greater…
Read MoreCA: New Bill Would Expand Lifetime Registration Requirements
Assembly member Melissa Melendez has introduced a bill (AB 884) that would expand the requirement to register for a lifetime to anyone convicted of Penal Code Section 288(a) when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect in 2021. As currently written, the Tiered Registry Law authorizes individuals convicted of the same penal code section to petition for removal from the registry after a minimum of 20 years. “We must stop this bill!” exclaimed ACSOL Exeuctive Director Janice Bellucci. “If the bill is passed, at least 40 percent of the people on…
Read MoreLiving with 290: Certificate of Rehabilitation – 2019 (Updated)
UPDATE 2/23: Removal from the Registry (below) Original Submission 2/9: Last month, I received my Certificate or Rehabilitation, thus ending my duty to register and bringing to a conclusion a decade filled with challenges and a sense of utter hopelessness and despair. When this all began, I asked myself repeatedly, “How am I ever going to get out of this?” At my first ACSOL meeting (before it was called ACSOL), the dim feeling of hope I felt that day was still overshadowed by this vague and ominous sense of doubt.…
Read MoreCA: Has criminal justice reform gone too far? One California lawmaker thinks so
[abc10.com – 2/21/19] SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Overcrowded prisons. Trying teens as juveniles versus adults. The power of rehabilitation and a belief in second chances. These issues have fueled criminal justice reform in recent years in the state of California. But some say the overhaul has gone too far. People can generally agree, we all want to live in safe communities, but as Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) told ABC10, the devil is in the details. Exactly how to keep communities safe differs depending on who you ask. Enter Proposition 57,…
Read MoreNumber of CA Registrants Tops 110,000 Mark
The current number of individuals required to register in the state of California exceeds 110,000 for the first time, according to a presentation made during today’s CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) meeting. The total number is 110,003 which includes 77,895 individuals who are living in the community as well as 22,379 in state prisons and 953 in a state hospital. The number of individuals in county jails and other locations is unknown. “The rate at which the registry continues to grow in California is alarming,” stated ACSOL Executive Director…
Read MoreCA: CA Democrats Author Bill to Protect Sex Offenders Who Lure Minors
State Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) and Assemblywoman Susan Eggman (D-Stockton) introduced recent legislation “to end blatant discrimination against LGBT young people regarding California’s sex offender registry.” However, under their bill, SB 145, the offenders would not have to automatically register as sex offenders if the offenders are within 10 years of age of the minor. Full Article Also see https://all4consolaws.org/2019/02/ca-acsol-supports-senate-bill-to-terminate-registration-requirements/
Read MoreACSOL Meeting in Berkeley on Saturday, Feb 23
Please mark your calendars for ACSOL’s upcoming meeting in Berkeley: Saturday, Feb 23 10 a.m. Finnish Hall (upstairs meeting room) 1970 Chestnut Street Berkeley Attendance is limited to individuals required to register, family members, and friends. Media, law enforcement, parole, etc. are not allowed to attend meetings. The meetings start at 10 am and last about 2-3 hours. Topics of conversation include information about ACSOL’s advocacy as well as current topics and pending legal action. Please Show up, Stand up, and Speak up!
Read More