The California Sex Offender Management Board, which oversees California’s sex offender registration laws announced last week that the database is too big, and that it’s not helpful in its current form. The San Francisco Chronicle reported on Sunday that the board is recommending to the state legislature that only violent offenders, such as kidnappers and sexual predators be compelled to register for life. The overhaul would be a far cry from abolishing “Santa’s Naughty List” completely. Full Article
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Sex Offender Board Calls For Registry Overhaul
California is one of four states that require lifetime registration of all sex offenders. The current registry holds close to 100,000, a number the California Sex Offender Management Board says is too large to handle. The board is recommending an overhaul of the system that would change the criteria for lifetime registration, taking into account the severity of the crime and the likely risk posed by the offender. Radio Program
Read MoreFeds: Laws threw sex-offenders together, undercut GPS monitoring
Federal probation officers charged with supervising two Orange County sex offenders who are accused of four killings were overworked, underfunded and hampered by GPS systems that did not communicate, an internal inquiry concluded Wednesday. Full Article
Read MoreSECRET SEX OFFENDER’S MURDER LEADS TO 80 TO LIFE IN PRISON
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — An extreme punishment for an extremely brutal crime. The man convicted of stabbing a drinking buddy after discovering a dark secret is headed to prison for 80 years to life. A jury convicted David Barrera of first degree murder last month, along with Patricia Perez. The jury never heard this, but Barrera had five violent strikes before this crime. In fact, the judge said Wednesday it seemed like his whole life was leading right up to this murder. Full Article Also see: Fresno longtime criminal gets 80…
Read MoreStockton Sex Offender Ordinance Challenged in Federal Court
The City of Stockton’s sex offender ordinance was challenged today in federal district court. The ordinance prohibits all registered citizens from loitering in or within 300 feet of public parks, libraries, and swimming pools as well as privately owned video arcades and recreational areas. “This is the tenth ordinance to be challenged in ten weeks,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “It is our hope that all cities and counties that have similar ordinances will soon choose to repeal their ordinances which violate both the state and federal constitutions.” The first…
Read MoreBoard wants to remove low-risk sex offenders from registry
Sacramento — The state board that oversees California’s sex offender registration laws wants to thin out and overhaul the registry because they say it has grown too big and does not help law enforcement or the public differentiate between offenders who pose significant risks and those not likely to reoffend. Full Article CASOMB Report
Read MoreFullerton City Council Revises Sex Offender Ordinance
The Fullerton City Council voted 4 to 1 to revise its sex offender ordinance by removing all presence restrictions. The vote took place on May 21 and a second vote is required to finalize the Council’s decision. “The City of Fullerton is to be commended for its decision to remove presence restrictions from its ordinance,” stated CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci. “After the revisions become effective, registered citizens will be free to visit parks and other recreational areas within the city without the fear of arrest.” Fullerton is 1 of…
Read MoreHuntington Beach repeals sex offender park ban
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 MoreOrange 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,…
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