Category: California

The City of Huntington Beach has declared a moratorium on its sex offender ordinance which prohibits all registrants from visiting public parks and beaches. According to a memo from Police Chief Kenneth Small, the decision was made due to a pending legal challenge against the City. Small stated that he expects “the moratorium to remain in place until the Court of Appeal makes a decision on the pending case of People v. Godinez.” A decision in that case is expected no later than June 2013. “This is a good decision,”…

Thanks to the tireless efforts of one of our volunteers the list of City and County Ordinances relating to 290 registrants has been completely revamped and updated. Thank you, S.! While the task was tedious, it is our hope that this list will soon be obsolete and that these laws will be repealed. California RSOL – registrants, family & friends and supporters – has been very active in speaking at various City Council Meetings against the adoption and for the repeal of these ordinances. Follow notices on this site to…

The January 19 meeting in Los Angeles saw the greatest turnout of registrants, family & friends and supporters to date. About 60+  attended the meeting, about half of whom were first-time participants! As always, the meeting included topics such as on-going legislation, an update about recent organization activities, as well as questions and answers. The highlight was a presentation by Alex Landon, an attorney, law professor and author of a book on the subject of registration laws. He shed some light and perspective on the evolution of these laws. Thanks…

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 6 to 1 in favor of continuing the city’s sex offender ordinance which bans all registrants from entering all city parks. The sole vote against the ordinance was cast by Councilwoman Jill Hardy. A total of eight representatives of California RSOL spoke in opposition to the revised ordinance which, in theory, would allow registrants an opportunity to obtain written permission to enter a city park. No one spoke in favor of the revised ordinance, including no members of the City Council, because the ordinance…

California RSOL will lobby newly elected members of the state Assembly in Sacramento on January 29 and 30. Thirty-nine new members were sworn in earlier this month. There are a total of 80 members in that legislative body. “It is important to meet with the newly elected state legislators this month in order to educate them regarding the true facts regarding registrants,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of California RSOL. “In the past, state legislators have passed laws based upon fear and misinformation that have diminished public safety and denied registrants…

VIDEO: “We’ve Come A Long Way Baby” Janice Bellucci talks about the beginning stages of formation of the California chapter of RSOL. Serves as a model for other state organizations. Recorded Saturday September 8, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDHH62DZvhY More Conference Videos

On Dec. 18, Lake Forest repealed a year-old ordinance banning registered sex offenders from its public parks. The city was one of more than a dozen in Orange County to add such a ban to their books since April 2011. Last month, in the face of a lawsuit challenging the ban’s constitutionality, Lake Forest became the first of those cities to reverse course. Proponents say the ban is needed to protect children from predators – critics argue the ban violates the civil rights of registered sex offenders. Here is a…

Late Friday, a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction in the lawsuit EFF filed with the ACLU of Northern California (ACLU-NC) that challenges the unconstitutional provisions in Proposition 35, a ballot measure passed by California voters in November that restricts the legal and constitutionally protected speech of all registered sex offenders in California. EFF and the ACLU-NC filed the lawsuit the morning after Election Day, noting that although Prop 35 is ostensibly about increasing punishment for human traffickers, it’s beset with problems. The biggest was its requirement that registrants turn…