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…
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Huntington Beach City Council Hearing – February 4
California RSOL will attend the Huntington Beach City Council Hearing and speak at the second reading of the proposed modification of the the Ordinance prohibiting registrants to enter public parks and places. Come join us at 6 pm on Monday, February 4th! 6:00 PM – Regular MeetingCouncil Chambers – 2000 Main StreetHuntington Beach, CA 92648 Agenda
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Lobbying in Sacramento
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…
Read MoreLos Alamitos Parks Ban Update
The City of Los Alamitos has suspended enforcement of Los Alamitos Municipal Code Chapter 9.14 CHILD SAFETY ZONES pending legal review. Los Alamitos Municipal Code
Read MoreRSOL 2012 National Conference: Janice Bellucci
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
Read MoreHuntington Beach changes sex-offender ordinances after lawsuit [updated with video]
HUNTINGTON BEACH – The city has changed its sex-offender park ban after the law’s constitutionality was challenged in court. City Council members on Tuesday approved an amended ordinance that will allow police Chief Kenneth Small to write case-by-case exemptions to the sex-offender ordinance based on his discretion. The change comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed by a convicted sex offender in October, naming Huntington Beach and other Orange County cities, which says the ordinances that ban sex offenders from parks and other public areas are unconstitutional. Lake Forest,…
Read MoreHuntington Beach to consider changes to sex offender rule
HUNTINGTON BEACH – City Council members will discuss changing an ordinance to allow some exceptions to a ban on sex offenders in city parks. The council will meet on Tuesday to discuss allowing Police Chief Kenneth Small to make exemptions to the rule based on his discretion, according to city reports. The changes come on the heels of a lawsuit filed in October, naming Huntington Beach and other Orange County cities, which says that the ordinances that ban sex offenders from parks and other public areas are unconstitutional. Full Article
Read MoreCYPRESS ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL COURT
A registrant and his fiancée filed a lawsuit today in federal district court challenging the ordinance passed by the City of Cypress that prohibits most registrants from residing in the city as well as visiting public places such as parks, libraries and senior centers. The ordinance was passed unanimously by the City Council on March 12, 2012. “The ordinance passed by the City of Cypress is egregious in that it prevents the owners of single-family homes, apartment buildings and hotels from renting to most registrants even on a temporary basis,”…
Read MoreBan repeal sparks applause, frustration
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…
Read MoreProp 35: Preliminary Injunction granted
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…
Read MorePenalties sought for parolees cutting GPS monitors
SACRAMENTO (KGO) — Those GPS ankle bracelets that monitor some California parolees are not as effective as they could be. And that’s because some convicted sex offenders and gang members are cutting off the devices and getting away with it. Authorities say 48-year-old repeat sex offender _____ ______ cut off his GPS ankle bracelet in November and days later he was charged with the sexual battery of a Fresno State student at the campus library. “What I care about is that we get these criminals back behind bars,” Assm. Jim…
Read MoreSan Jose: Ruling finds DA’s right-hand man committed misconduct
SAN JOSE — In a scathing opinion published Thursday, a state appellate court reversed a judgment against a felon accused of being a sexually violent predator, saying the prosecutor handling the case — now District Attorney Jeff Rosen’s right-hand man — engaged in a “pervasive pattern” of misconduct. The misconduct finding against Chief Assistant District Attorney Jay Boyarsky is the first black mark against Rosen’s administration since he took office two years ago on an ethics platform and appointed Boyarsky as his top assistant. Full Article Also: SF Chronicle Article,…
Read MoreTRO Application Filed to Halt Enforcement of Lancaster Sex Offender Ordinance
An application for a temporary restraining order (TRO) was filed today in federal district court requesting that enforcement of a sex offender ordinance in the City of Lancaster be halted. “The Lancaster ordinance denies the civil rights of more than 100,000 individuals and families in California,” stated Janice Bellucci, President of California Reform Sex Offender Laws (RSOL). “It prohibits people who made a mistake, but who have paid their debt to society from entering public places such as parks, schools and the library as well as private places such as…
Read MoreAnother OC City Backs Off Sex Offender Ban
Westminster became the latest Orange County city to distance itself from a law banning sex offenders from city or county parks. A number of cities including Mission Viejo, Seal Beach, Fountain Valley, Los Alamitos and Laguna Niguel have similar bans, all of which could face challenges in court. An attorney who represents a sex offender in the Westminster case represents several offenders challenging similar bans around the county as an infringement on civil liberty. Many of the bans could depend on a pending appeals court decision about a Fountain Valley…
Read MoreCalifornia State Supreme Court to hear Jessica’s Law challenge
Today, more than two years after declining to rule on a law restricting where paroled sex offenders can live, the California Supreme Court agreed to again hear the case. Passed by voters in November 2006, Jessica’s Law includes a provision that bars parolees who’ve committed a sexual offense from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park. A challenge over the residency restriction’s constitutionality and to whom the Jessica’s Law applies made its way up to the Supreme Court in 2010. The court declined to rule on the residency…
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Meeting in Santa Maria on February 23
The first California RSOL meeting in Santa Maria will take place on February 23, 2013 at 9 am. As always, the meeting will focus upon issues of importance to registrants, such as residency restrictions and conditions of parole/probation and the status of pending lawsuit. Registrants, family members and supporters are invited to attend this free meeting. There will be no media or government officials. The meeting will be held at 1165 Stubblefield Road, Santa Maria, CA 93455, which is at the Unity Church near the intersection of Bradley and Stubblefield. Please…
Read MoreThe Year in Review… and Things to Come
The year 2012 was a remarkable year! The civil rights of registered citizens were recognized and protected by federal and state judges in a series of cases that (1) declared the Orange County park ban is preempted by state law, (2) stopped temporarily enforcement of Prop. 35’s requirements to disclose online identities, (3) prohibited the City of Simi Valley from requiring registrants to post a sign on the front door of their homes, and (4) blocked parole officers from applying residency restrictions to all parolees in San Diego County. In…
Read MoreRights Group sues over Lancaster’s restrictions on sex offenders
Constitutional rights advocates sued the city of Lancaster on Tuesday to block a recently enacted ordinance banning registered sex offenders from going to – or even being near – the city’s parks, movie theaters and other public and private locations. “The ordinance basically violates the state and federal constitutions, and fails to protect public safety,” said Janice Bellucci, president of a group called California Reform Sex Offender Laws. Full Article
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