HUNTINGTON BEACH – After one lawsuit and threats of lawsuits from civil rights groups, Huntington Beach has joined the list of Orange County cities that have repealed an ordinance that bans registered sex offenders from entering parks without permission from the police chief. Full Article
Read MoreCategory: California
Orange County Upcoming Parks Ban Repeal Hearings
Huntington Beach (May 19, 2014) Consideration is requested whether to repeal Ordinance No. 3926 prohibiting registered sex offenders from entering City parks due to a Court of Appeal decision invalidating an identical ordinance. Meeting Agenda Summary of Parks Restrictions in Orange County as of 4/29/2014 Fullerton (May 20, 2014) At the May 6, 2014 meeting, the City Council directed staff to receive and analyze recommendations from a Fullerton citizen. Staff and the City Attorney have been in communication and received recommendations from this citizen. After reviewing the recommendations, it is…
Read MoreRancho Santa Margarita repeals ban on sex offenders in parks
RANCHO SANTA MARGARITA – The City Council voted to repeal an ordinance that bans registered sex offenders from entering city parks without permission from the city’s chief of police. The move comes after a state appeals court in January struck down similar bans in Irvine and at county recreational areas. The state Supreme Court in April declined to review the lower court’s decision. Full Article
Read MoreWasco Ordinance Challenged in Federal District Court [updated with media links]
The City of Wasco was sued today in federal district court challenging its sex offender ordinance. This lawsuit is the eighth in a series of lawsuits filed during an 8-week period. “Despite a series of letter warnings starting on January 20, the City of Wasco has failed to repeal its sex offender ordinance which violates both the state and federal constitutions,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “The Wasco ordinance denies the constitutionally protected right to public information through its prohibition of visiting the city’s public library. In addition, the…
Read MoreLawmakers call for review of sex offender oversight
Top state and federal legislators on Wednesday called for investigations of sex offender supervision in response to a high-profile case involving two suspected Orange County serial killers. State Senate President Darrell Steinberg formally requested a statewide review of electronic monitoring and voter-approved housing restrictions. Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, plans to request a federal probe focused on the local case. Full Article
Read MoreThird-grader removed from Fremont school amid claims he sexually harassed a girl
FREMONT — A third-grade Hirsch Elementary student accused of sexually harassing a female classmate has been removed from his school, a Fremont district official said Tuesday. Fremont Unified School District Superintendent James Morris announced the decision about an hour after the 8-year-old girl’s mother handed out 200 fliers outside the Irvington district campus, calling for the boy’s removal from the school. Full Article
Read MoreShafter suspends enfocement of sex offender
SHAFTER, Calif. (KBAK/KBFX) –The city of Shafter may repeal an ordinance that bans sex offenders from parks, schools, libraries and other places. The city has already agreed to stop enforcing it, and five other cities in Kern County which have similar ordinances may follow suit. Full Article
Read MoreLaguna Hills may reverse sex-offender park ban in wake of court rulings
LAGUNA HILLS – The City Council on Tuesday will consider reversing an ordinance that bans registered sex offenders from city parks and private parks run by homeowners associations. … … Also a factor for Laguna Hills is the threat of litigation by the California Reform Sexual Offender Laws organization and the American Civil Liberties Union if the ordinance is not repealed, according to the staff report. Full Article Staff Report
Read MoreHow GPS monitoring fails in critical public-safety ways
Experts say law-enforcement agencies have a poor track record of sharing GPS data for proactive purposes. They work well in investigating crimes; less so in detecting them. New details in the high-profile case of two accused Orange County serial killers have revived concerns that federal supervision of California sex offenders is deeply flawed. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender seeks $215K for time served in Calif. prisons
SACRAMENTO – A state hearing officer is recommending a convicted sex offender be paid $215,200 for the nearly seven years he spent in California prisons for failing to register after he moved from his native Rhode Island. ____ ____ ____, 50, doesn’t deny sexually assaulting a 7-year-old girl in Providence in 1991, but claims the Rhode Island conviction for second-degree child molestation did not require him to register as a sex offender when he moved to California. Full Article
Read MoreSanta Ana Ordinance Challenged in Federal District Court
The City of Santa Ana was sued today in federal district court challenging a city ordinance that prohibits some registered citizens from being on or within 300 feet of city libraries, learning centers, schools, parks and museums. Santa Ana is the 7th city or county to be sued in a period of seven weeks. “The City of Santa Ana ordinance violates both the federal and state constitutions,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “California RSOL warned the city about its ordinance both in writing and through testimony prior to its passage,…
Read MoreFullerton Council to Revise Sex Offender Ban in Parks
Fullerton’s ban on convicted sex offenders in city parks will likely be revised in the wake of court rulings and a potential lawsuit. Since the 1940s, California has wrestled with laws that deal with convicted sex offenders and what they can and cannot do after they are released from prison and complete parole. In the past four years, about half of Orange County cities adopted laws that banned adults convicted of sexually abusing children from living near or going into city parks. Full Article
Read MoreState Senate Passes Bill to Prohibit Internet Extortion
The California Senate has voted unanimously to approve a bill (SB 1027) that would prohibit the commercial use of booking photos. The bill would also provide individuals with the ability to sue anyone who publishes or otherwise disseminates booking photos and then requires payment of a fee or other consideration to remove, correct or modify that photo. Those who violate the law are subject to “an amount equal to the greater of $1,000 per violation or the actual damages suffered”, along with costs, attorney’s fees and any other legal or equitable relief.…
Read MoreSacramento County sued over sex offender ordinance
Sacramento County became the latest governmental entity Wednesday to be sued over an ordinance limiting the movements of registered sex offenders near parks and other public places, but the practical effect of the suit may be negligible. Full Article
Read MoreCity of Duarte to Repeal Ordinance
The City of Duarte is expected to repeal its sex offender ordinance, according to a letter from City Attorney Dan Slater dated April 30. According to that letter, the actions are the result of “a threat” from California RSOL to sue the City if it did not repeal its ordinance. The City Attorney noted in his letter the California Supreme Court decision dated April 23, 2014, which denied review of two decisions by the Court of Appeal which determined that offender laws by cities, similar to that adopted by Duarte,…
Read MoreSacramento County Ordinance Challenged in Federal Court
A lawsuit challenging a sex offender ordinance adopted by Sacramento County was filed today in federal district court. This lawsuit is the sixth in a series of lawsuits challenging sex offender ordinances adopted by local governments that prohibit the presence of registered citizens within their jurisdictions. “Sacramento County adopted an ordinance that violates both the state and federal constitutions,” stated attorney Janice Bellucci. “The ordinance is also preempted by state law as determined by the California Court of Appeal in the Nguyen and Godinez cases. The California Supreme Court denied…
Read MoreWhere are sex offenders? Jessica’s Law complicates monitoring
The number of homeless sex offenders has skyrocketed since Jessica’s Law went into effect, and after the recent arrest of two serial killer suspects some experts say the law to protect women and children is backfiring. Unable to live near schools and parks, some registered offenders end up living on the streets, making it difficult for them to find jobs and forcing them into areas where they end up congregating. Before the residency restrictions brought by Jessica’s Law eight years ago, 88 paroled sex offenders were registered as transient in California.…
Read MoreNorth State Psychotherapist wants changes to Megan’s Law
Dawn Horwitz-Person is a Sex Offender Treatment Specialist in Chico. She deals with some of the most violent and dangerous convicted sex offenders in the north state. She has also been featured on “Oprah,” and “Anderson Cooper 360.” Oprah Winfrey flew to Chico in 2010 to meet with Horwitz-Person and four of her patients, who openly discussed how and why they chose their victims. Horwitz-Person is one of many California Phycho-therapists hoping for changes to the California Department of Justice’s sex offender registry Megan’s Law, because she says it is…
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