The Murrieta City Council unanimously voted in favor of revising its residency restrictions on February 21. When it becomes effective, the revised ordinance will apply only to registrants on parole who live within 1,000 feet of schools and parks. The revised ordinance also limits the number of registrants who can live in individual housing units and creates exceptions for some disabled registrants. “The revised residency restrictions adopted by the City Council tonight will violate the Constitution and be inconsistent with recent decisions by the California Supreme Court,” stated ACSOL Executive…
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SCOTUS: Removal of an immigrant for “sexual abuse of a minor”
The facts of the case sound like an episode of “Law and Order SVU.” In 2000, Juan Esquivel-Quintana’s parents lawfully brought him to the United States and settled in Sacramento, California. When he was 20 years old, Esquivel-Quintana had consensual sex with his 16-year-old girlfriend. He later pleaded no contest to violating California Penal Code § 261.5(c), which criminalizes sex with a person “under the age of 18 years” when the age difference between the parties is more than three years. Esquivel-Quintana was sentenced to 90 days in jail and…
Read MoreBill Would Eliminate Exclusions from Megan’s Law Website (AB 558)
A bill was introduced in the California Assembly on Feb. 14 that would eliminate most exclusions from registrants’ information being posted on the Megan’s Law website. The author of that bill, Assembly Bill 558 (AB 558), is Assembly Member Sharon Quirk-Silva, a Democrat from Orange County. If the bill is passed, information regarding some registrants whose victims were 16 years and older, successfully completed probation or were convicted of incest and others would be added to the Megan’s Law website regardless of when the offense occurred or whether the registrant…
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: Tiered Registry Bill Could Help More Than 90 Percent of Registrants
It has happened at last! A tiered registry bill has been introduced in the state legislature. Before looking at the substance of the bill (Senate Bill 695), it is important to look at those who are offering and supporting it. The bill’s authors are two powerful members of the state Senate — Senator Ricardo Lara, who chairs the Appropriations Committee and Holly Mitchell, who chairs the Budget Committee. The bill’s sponsor is the most powerful district attorney in California, Jackie Lacey of Los Angeles. And the initial supporters of the…
Read MoreTiered Registry Bill Introduced as Senate Bill 695
Senator Ricardo Lara introduced today a tiered registry bill (Senate Bill 695). If passed by the legislature and signed by Governor, the bill would create three tiers that would allows most registrants who do not re-offend to lawfully end their requirement to register in either 10 or 20 years. The remaining registrants would still be required to register for a lifetime. “We have just received a copy of this bill and have not yet had time to compare it to the draft bill distributed a few months ago,” stated ACSOL…
Read MoreCA Sex Offender Management Board Discusses Revisions to Tiered Registry Bill
Although the tiered registry bill has not yet been introduced in the state legislature, members of the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) discussed today possible significant revisions to that bill. The deadline for the bill to be introduced is Friday, February 17. First, CASOMB recommends that the bill be revised to allow some, but not all, individuals assigned to Tier 3 to petition for removal from the registry after 20 years. This opportunity would be limited to individuals whose offenses are Tier 1 or Tier 2 offenses, but who…
Read MoreLegal action sways council in sex offender housing decision
Fullerton City Council unanimously voted to repeal a municipal code that imposed housing restrictions on child sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreJudge sides with Placer County, rejects placement of sex predator near Lincoln
SAN JOSE – A Santa Clara Superior Court judge on Tuesday rejected the state’s plan to locate a sexually violent predator near Lincoln after Placer County officials and residents argued the placement would pose a danger to children in the area. Full Article
Read MoreLawsuits target California cities for residential restrictions on sex offenders
The City of Fullerton will consider repealing residency restrictions on sex offenders at its Tuesday City Council meeting. The city currently prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within 2,000 ft. of any school, park or day care center. But a 2015 California Supreme Court decision struck down similar restrictions in San Diego County, and the decision has been widely interpreted as a rollback of statewide residency restrictions established by voters in 2006 through Proposition 83, known as Jessica’s Law. Full Article
Read MoreJanice’s Journal: We Have Spoken! We Have Been Heard! We Will Return!
We have spoken! We have been heard! We will return! Those three statements were uttered this week by 36 registrants, family members and supporters who met with elected officials and staffers in the State Capitol in Sacramento. It was the largest group EVER to lobby in support of registrant issues. It was the largest group EVER to describe the challenges faced by registrants and their families. They spoke about how hard it is to find a place to live. Landlords don’t want to rent an apartment to a family because…
Read MoreACSOL Members Conclude Early Lobbying Efforts (update from 1/31)
February 1: After meeting in the offices of all newly elected members of the state legislature as well as members of the Senate Public Safety Committee, more than 35 ACSOL members concluded their early lobbying efforts on January 31. “We educated the newly elected members and staff regarding the need for a tiered registry based upon empirical evidence as well as the harm that could be caused by prohibiting all registrants from visiting all K-12 schools for all reasons,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. The ACSOL members were organized into…
Read MoreAccepting that others can change is often difficult
Many residents hearing about a sexually violent predator possibly being released from a state hospital to Lincoln want to prevent that move. Having a sex offender living nearby is scary. We want to keep family members safe and protect them from anyone who is dangerous. But how can parents do that if they’re living next to someone who committed horrendous crimes on innocent victims, oftentimes children who can’t defend themselves? Full Article Also see Criminal controversy
Read MoreSan Jose cat killer may have to register as sex offender
A San Jose man who stole, tortured and killed 21 cats more than a year ago and a throng of people who have been closely following the case should learn next month when he’ll be sentenced and whether he’ll eventually have to register as a sex offender. Full Article
Read MoreInglewood City Council Repeals Residency Restrictions
The Inglewood City Council voted in favor of repealing the city’s residency restrictions which prohibited registrants from living in most of that city during its meeting on January 24. The City Council is expected to finalize its decision to repeal the restrictions during its next meeting which is scheduled for January 31. “This is a significant victory for registrants and their families,” stated ACSOL president Janice Bellucci. “No longer will families be separated by a law that failed to increase public safety and yet violated the Constitution.” If the City…
Read MoreACSOL Makes Formal Presentation to CA Sex Offender Management Board
The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws (ACSOL) made a formal presentation to the CA Sex Offender Management Board (CASOMB) during the board’s monthly meeting on January 19. In its presentation, ACSOL notified CASOMB that it would lobby on both the tiered registry bill and Senate Bill 26. ACSOL told CASOMB that while the organization supports the concept of a tiered registry, it has several serious concerns about the draft tiered registry bill. One of those concerns is the amount of discretion provided to district attorneys to stop the petition…
Read MoreFullerton, Desert Hot Springs to Consider Repeal of Residency Restrictions
The City Councils of Fullerton and Desert Hot Springs are scheduled to consider repeal or revision of the residency restrictions in those cities on January 17. The residency restrictions in both cities were challenged in federal lawsuits filed in September 2016. According to current law in those cities, registrants are prohibited from permanently residing in virtually all parts of the city. In addition, Desert Hot Springs prohibits registrants from residing in that city on a temporary basis. A total of 18 lawsuits have been filed challenging residency restrictions in the…
Read MoreAdelanto sued over sex offender residency rules
A federal lawsuit challenges the city’s residency restrictions for registered sex offenders, concluding that the local ordinance’s exclusion zones “cover virtually all residential property within the city” and are more stringent than rules by similar municipalities. Filed Dec. 8 in U.S. District Court by Sacramento-based attorney Janice Bellucci, the lawsuit claims Adelanto’s local law violates the 14th Amendment, which ensures due process and equal protection of law, and is unconstitutionally vague. Full Article
Read MoreFIRE DESTROYS SQUAW VALLEY TRAILER WHERE A SEXUAL PREDATOR HAD CONTRACTED TO LIVE
FRESNO, California (KFSN) — The owner of a remote trailer in Squaw Valley was the only one of several hundred properties that were deemed suitable for Jeffrey Snyder to live in. Just days after it was announced the property owner would allow the violent sexual predator to live there the home was destroyed by a fire. Full Article
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