The City Council of Orange, in a vote of 4 to 0, voted in favor of repealing a city ordinance that required registrants to post a sign on the front door of their residence for 24 hours on Halloween. The vote was taken after a lengthy discussion which included a recommendation by the City Attorney to repeal that requirement. “California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL) thanks the City Council of Orange for upholding the constitution in tonight’s vote,” stated Janice Bellucci, president of CA RSOL. “It is unfortunate, however,…
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Orange May Spike Ordinance Requiring Sex Offenders to Post Signs at Homes on Halloween
UPDATE, SEPT. 24, 8:30 A.M.: Orange City Attorney Wayne Winthers has reportedly looked at the judge’s ruling in Simi Valley, negotiated with RSOL’s Janice Bellucci and decided to recommend the Orange City Council spike the sign requirement in its Halloween ordinance. The council is expected to take up the issue in closed session next week, reports the Los Angeles Times. State open meeting laws allow pending litigation to be discussed behind closed doors. Full Article
Read MoreCalifornia signs private-prison deal
SACRAMENTO — California has signed a contract with private prison contractor Geo Group to lease space for 1,400 inmates in overcrowded state lockups. The company announced the contract early Monday morning, even before Gov. Jerry Brown learns whether federal judges will grant his request for a three-year delay in the courts’ orders to cap the prison population. The governor’s lawyers have asked judges to make their own decision by Friday. Full Article
Read MoreEx-San Mateo County official gets jail for child porn
REDWOOD CITY — The former head of San Mateo County’s probation department was taken away in handcuffs Friday to begin serving 10 months in jail for having child pornography on a work computer and other electronic devices. ____ _____, dressed in a dark suit, was stoic as sheriff’s deputies led him from a San Mateo County Superior courtroom. Before the sentence was handed down, ____ apologized for possessing some 470 images of naked boys but maintained his defense that he had the photos for his job. Full Article
Read MoreO.C. city likely to drop Halloween law aimed at sex offenders
An Orange County city will probably toss out a law requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign in front of their homes on Halloween to discourage trick-or-treaters after it was hit with a federal lawsuit alleging the practice is unconstitutional. Registered sex offenders in the city of Orange are legally required to post a sign on Halloween, no smaller than 12 by 24 inches, that reads, “No candy or treats at this residence.” Violators face a $1,000 fine or up to a year in jail. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday…
Read MoreFresno State ASI: Sex offender resolution rejected
Fresno State’s Associated Students, Inc. senate rejected a resolution Wednesday that aimed to promote the disclosure of the identities of registered sex offenders on campus. “I just do not see the necessity of this resolution as it pertains to the college campus,” said Daniel Ward, senator-at-large for academic affairs. “We do not have the authority to change a law. The intention is in the right place. But the fact of the matter is, we’re not going to be able to do any legal processing of this. It is not our…
Read MoreLawsuit Challenges Sex Offender “No Candy” Halloween Signs (NBC)
An Orange County city will consider a provision in an ordinance that requires sex offenders to post signs outside their homes that indicate they do not have candy for Halloween trick-or-treaters. The Orange City Council will meet Tuesday night to discuss the ordinance, which also bans sex offenders from displaying Halloween decorations, opening their doors to children and leaving lights on Halloween night. Part of the ordinance requiring sex offenders to post signs on their front doors that read, “No candy or treats at this residence,” is the subject of…
Read MoreCity of Orange’s Halloween law for sex offenders challenged in court
LA Times – A city law requiring registered sex offenders to post a sign in front of their homes on Halloween to discourage trick-or-treaters is unconstitutional and should be tossed out, a federal lawsuit alleges. Registered sex offenders in the city of Orange are legally required to post a 12-by-24 inch sign reading “no candy or treats at this residence.” Violators face a $1,000 fine or six months in jail. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday on behalf of the California Reform Sex Offender Laws group, alleges that the city violates 1st…
Read MoreCA RSOL Challenges Halloween Ordinance in U.S. District Court
A lawsuit was filed today in U.S. District Court challenging the Halloween ordinance adopted by the City of Orange which requires “sex offenders” to post a sign on the front door of their residence. Specifically, the lawsuit alleges that the city ordinance violates the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and places “sex offenders” as well as anyone living with a “sex offender” at risk for physical and emotional harm. “The City of Orange is the only city in California that requires registered citizens to post a sign on the…
Read MoreOrange County’s Vicious Dogs Could Land on Online Database Like Registered Sex Offenders
The county Board of Supervisors gave the initial nod Tuesday to essentially creating a Megan’s Law-type list for vicious dogs. Megan’s Law provided the online database for registered sex offenders. So just think of the new proposed site like that. Only with dangerous pooches. The supervisors voted 4-0 to tentatively approve changes to the county’s ordinance regulating vicious dogs to allow for the database. A final vote is scheduled for Oct. 1. Full Article Agenda Item Ordinance OC Board of Supervisors
Read MoreHow a Law Aimed at Sex Offenders Could Feed into the Growing Surveillance State
Last November, California voters overwhelmingly approved Proposition 35, the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation (CASE) Act. Like “tough on crime” anti-trafficking legislation around the country, Proposition 35 was presented as bolstering law enforcement’s ability to fight human trafficking by introducing a bundle of new laws that, most prominently, increased penalties for those convicted of trafficking human labor, made prostitution a sex crime, and with less public attention, created a new requirement for registered sex offenders. Full Article
Read More‘Post-Snowden Era’ Audit of CA Sex-Offender Monitoring
SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – The NSA’s controversial domestic surveillance program factored into a 9th Circuit hearing Wednesday on California’s monitoring of sex offenders. Proposition 35, passed by voters last year, mostly aims to punish human traffickers, but also mandates that sex offenders give police a complete list of their usernames, screen names, email addresses and Internet service providers within 24 hours of setting up a new account or screen name. Failure to do so carries up to three years in prison. Full Article Related: Release Net identities of sex offenders,…
Read MoreConvicted Sex Offender Shot Multiple Times in Greenfield
GREENFIELD, Calif- A 29-year old registered sex offender was shot multiple times over the weekend. ____ ____ was shot on Oak Avenue and flown to the hospital. Greenfield police said that though he was shot multiple times, his injuries are non-life threatening. Police do have a suspect in this case, at this time they are not releasing a name. According to the Meagan’s Law website, ____ was convicted of molesting a child under 18 years of age. Full Article
Read MoreRSOL Conference 2013 – Catherine Carpenter: Sexual Offense Laws and Constitutionality
National RSOL Conference 2013 – Professor of Law, Catherine Carpenter of Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles talks about just how punitive and extreme sex offender laws have become over the years and the ways in which they violate US citizen’s constitutional rights. [hana-flv-player video=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qyA9TU8nE8″ width=”320″ description=”” player=”5″ autoload=”true” autoplay=”false” loop=”false” autorewind=”true” /] Youtube – RSOL Videos on Youtube
Read MoreCalifornia: Second Chance for Youth Offenders
(Sacramento) –The California Assembly approved a bill on September 6, 2013, that offers hope and a meaningful opportunity of parole for over 5,000 youth offenders in the state. Senate Bill 260 (Hancock) passed in the Assembly with bipartisan support by a vote of 51 to 21. Next week it will return to the Senate, where an earlier version passed with a two-thirds majority, for a concurrence vote. Full Article
Read MorePolice Shoot Man While Trying to Serve Warrant in Lewd Conduct Case
A man under investigation by Irvine police for lewd conduct with a child was shot in the parking lot of an apartment complex on Tuesday. “Detectives were here preparing to serve a search warrant when they contacted the suspect in the parking lot,” Irvine Police Department Lt. Julia Engen said. An officer-involved shooting occurred a short time later, according to Engen. “The subject they were here to interview for their investigation was shot,” Engen said. Full Article
Read MoreRSOL Conference Recap
Advocates and supporters of reforming sex offender laws from throughout the nation converged on its second largest city over the Labor Day holiday weekend to participate in RSOL’s sixth national conference, “Justice for All.” From the evening of Thursday, August 29, through the late morning of Sunday, September 1, the City of Angels played host to the living angels of a cause deeply rooted in the hope for justice and constitutional freedom for more than 700,000 American citizens who populate the country’s myriad registration schemes from coast-to-coast. Organized with increased…
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