Orange County continues to be the epicenter for laws that both violate the civil rights of registered citizens as well as decrease public safety. The latest attempt comes in the form of a bill introduced in Sacramento by Assemblyman William Brough of Dana Point (AB 201). If it becomes law, the bill would allow cities and counties to pass any law they wished to restrict where a registered citizen could visit. That could return us all to the former Land of Oz where a registered citizen could legally walk on…
Read MoreCategory: California
‘It’s about the safety of kids’: Dana Point lawmaker’s bill would ban sex offenders from parks
Orange County’s ban on sex offenders in parks, declared illegal by appellate judges last year, has a new backer: a proposed bill in the state Assembly that would allow cities to enforce restrictions on such criminals. The bill from state Assemblyman Bill Brough, R-Dana Point, aims to prohibit sex offenders from going to parks and beaches without written permission from the sheriff or local police chief. The bill’s co-authors include Assemblyman Matthew Harper, R-Huntington Beach. “At the end of the day, it’s about the safety of kids,” said Brough, a…
Read MorePeaceful Protest to be held in the City of Carson on March 7
California RSOL will lead a peaceful protest in the City of Carson on Saturday, March 7, in order to highlight the harm done by the city’s sex offender ordinance. That ordinance bans registered citizens from being present in or within 300 feet of public places including the library, parks and swimming pools as well as private places including fast food restaurants that have a children’s playground. The peaceful protest will begin at Carson City Hall at 10 a.m. near the water fountain. Registered citizens, family members, and all who support…
Read MoreMany sex offenders killed in California prison
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Shortly after 2 a.m. on April 6, 2010, a guard at Salinas Valley State Prison noticed ____ ____’s cellmate trying to stuff something under a mattress. It was ____, blood trickling from his mouth and a cloth noose tied around his neck. The convicted child molester died 10 days later without regaining consciousness, his death earning his cellmate a second life sentence. California state prisoners are killed at a rate that is double the national average — and sex offenders like ____ account for a disproportionate…
Read MoreCity Council takes action on sex offender ordinance
Canyon Lake, CA – California has the highest rate of sexual offenders in the nation. The Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act, also known as Jessica’s Law, was passed by California voters on November 7, 2006. One of the major provisions of Proposition 83 limits where sex offenders may live. This measure prohibits any person required to register as a sex offender from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park. Full Article List of Presence Restrictions Lawsuits
Read MoreCritics of Carson’s sex offender laws say they are too strict
For Frank Lindsay, the city of Carson feels like an obstacle course whenever he visits his relatives. He makes sure to stay clear of all city parks. If he’s hungry, he avoids the local McDonald’s, which includes a playground for toddlers. The library, where children have reading time, is off-limits. So is the local mall, which has a play lighthouse for youngsters to climb. Full Article
Read MoreLawsuits leave us more vulnerable to sex offenders (Opinion)
Inland dwellers take note: unless state lawmakers take action, registered sex offenders will likely have a great deal more leeway in choosing where they live and congregate in the very near future. Santa Maria civil rights attorney and one plaintiff, a 62-year-old registered sex offender, have been on a tear over the past year, challenging ordinances up and down the state that bar sex offenders from living near schools, parks, libraries and other public places where children might be. Full Article
Read MoreState AG won’t appeal sex offender provision struck down by court (Prop 35)
Attorney General Kamala Harris says she will not ask the Supreme Court to let California enforce a voter-approved law that would require more than 70,000 sex offenders to disclose their Internet identities to police, a decision that apparently means the law will not take effect. Full Article
Read MoreMURRIETA: Sex offender ‘safety zone’ ordinance repealed
They weren’t happy about it, but all five members of the Murrieta City Council voted this week in favor of repealing an ordinance that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter near areas frequented by children. Full Article
Read MoreMURRIETA: City may repeal Child Safety Zone Ordinance
The Murrieta City Council this week will consider repealing an ordinance approved in 2009 that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter within 300 feet of an area frequented by children: parks, arcades, swimming pools, skateboard parks, etc. Full Article
Read MoreSex-Offender Laws to Be Weakened
Prompted by two adverse appellate court decisions and a lawsuit springing from them, the board of supervisors on Tuesday gave tentative approval to amendments to the county code that would strike down certain provisions defining where registered sex offenders may visit when children are present. The changes, due for a final vote on Feb. 10, would repeal the so-called “presence” provisions in the county code, language that prevents sex offenders from being within 300 feet of various locations where children might congregate. Full Article
Read MoreAssembly Bill Would Authorize Cities, Counties to Adopt Presence Restrictions
Assemblyman William P. Brough introduced Assembly Bill 201 on January 29 that, if passed, would authorize cities and counties to pass laws that restrict where registered citizens may be present. Brough is a Republican member of the Assembly from Oange County. “This bill attempts to reverse decisions of the California Court of Appeal and Supreme Court made in 2014,” stated California RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “The bill would also reverse the positive results of lawsuits filed last year in federal district courts.” During 2014, a total of 26 lawsuits were…
Read MoreCA Supreme Court Decision Harms Registered Citizens
The California Supreme Court today, in a vote of 5 to 2, overturned a prior court decision (People v. Hofsheier (2006) 37 Cal.4th 1185) that provided relief in the recent past to many individuals convicted of oral copulation. In the decision, the court found that there is a “rational basis” for providing harsher penalties to such as an individual as compared to other individuals who convicted of unlawful intercourse. “Today’s decision by the California Supreme Court has the potential to harm hundreds if not thousands of individuals without increasing public…
Read MoreMore parole agent caseloads exceed limits under new sex offender rules
Since two sex offenders were charged with killing four women while under state and federal watch, California has changed how it supervises such parolees, increasing scrutiny of some and relaxing the monitoring of others. A Times analysis of state data shows that the number of parole agents with caseloads exceeding state limits has increased under the new system, further stretching California’s already strained ability to oversee freed sex offenders. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Successfully Lobbies Sacramento In Support of Tiered Registry
Twenty-three individuals, including six board members, lobbied in support of a tiered registry in Sacramento on January 27 and 28. Although a tiered registry bill has not yet been introduced, the lobbying effort focused upon the need for a tiered registry that would distinguish between and among those convicted of sex offenses during the registry’s 68 years of existence. Current law requires virtually everyone convicted of a sex offense to register for a lifetime regardless of the severity of the offense for which they were convicted or their current risk…
Read MoreCounty wants local control back to govern sex offenders
SAN BERNARDINO — The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors is pressing for control to govern how it deals with registered sex offenders after it voted this week to repeal its own ordinance and give precedence to California law. “The Board knows how to protect the most vulnerable people in our society,” Board Chairman James Ramos said in a statement. “We want to return control back to local jurisdictions.” Full Article
Read MoreSan Bernardino County to pare down sex-offender ordinance
Registered sex offenders in San Bernardino County will be able to move more freely within their communities after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved repealing restrictions on offender presence and movement in the county’s unincorporated areas. The gutting of the county’s 8-year-old sex offender ordinance would fulfill the terms of a legal settlement between the county and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci, reached in December. Full Article
Read MoreLocals Call California’s Sex Offender Registry Into Question
Sex offenders are required by law to register their name, photo and address online at meganslaw.ca.gov. A disclaimer on the website says The Department of Justice does not assess the specific risk that any convicted sex offender on the site will commit another offense. However, the website does have a Risk Assessment Score. Another disclaimer says that score determines the statistical probability that an offender will commit another sexual offense. Risk assessment scores for many of the sex offenders on the registry are currently left blank. Full Article
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