Simi Valley on Monday night became the first city in Ventura County to pass a law that aims to prevent sex offenders from having contact with trick-or-treating children on Halloween. The ordinance, adopted by the City Council on a 4-1 vote, applies to the several dozen convicted child sex offenders who live in Simi Valley and are on the Megan’s Law website. Championed by Mayor Bob Huber, who is seeking re-election in November, the new law requires such offenders to post signs on their front doors saying, “No candy or…
Read MoreCategory: California
Council Focuses On Child-Related Issues
LANCASTER – On Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 5, a teenage girl was walking home from school in Palmdale when she was confronted by a man grabbed her and tore her blouse as she struggled to get away. The man was later found and arrested for attempted rape and assault to commit rape. The city council will decide Tuesday whether to approve an addition to Lancaster’s municipal code relating to registered sex offenders that would help prevent another young woman from being assaulted like the teenager in Palmdale. The addition to the…
Read MoreCommentary: The Mayor’s Two Hats: Hysteria In Lancaster?
From Norm Pattis Blog: The general counsel of Gerry Spence’s Trial Lawyers College has some explaining to do. As general counsel and board member of the college, R. Rex Parris professes a dedication to the college’s mission statement. That statement pledges a commitment to seeking justice for “the poor, the injured, the forgotten, the voiceless, the defenseless and the damned.” It is hard to find a class of people who better fit that classification than the 700,000-plus souls on the nation’s sex offender registries. While some registrants are no doubt…
Read MoreSex offender arrested in Irvine park
IRVINE – A registered sex offender was in custody after visiting a park to play tennis, the first such arrest in the city since it adopted a law that banned sex offenders from city parks. The 51-year-old Garden Grove man was taken into custody Thursday, after police officials said he drove to Citrus Glen Park to play tennis. Full Article
Read MoreNational Conference on Sex Offender Issues, Sept. 6-9, Albuquerque, NM
“Children’s safety is at stake,” asserted Robert Combs, this year’s Reform Sex Offender Laws (RSOL) conference committee chairperson. “And it will remain at stake until the sex-crime panic can be countered with factual information to ensure public safety.” “Inclusion on the sex offender registry does not signify the person is any sort of a threat whatsoever,” agreed Brenda Jones, RSOL’s executive director. “And therein lies the problem. We as a society need to educate ourselves, and the 4th annual RSOL national conference taking place in Albuquerque, NM, September 6 –…
Read MoreNew law orders libraries to oust sex offenders
LANCASTER – In a unanimous vote, the five-member City Council this week gave its initial approval to an ordinance that, among other restrictions, bans registered sex offenders from going near public libraries and museums. A Santa Barbara County attorney, who traveled about 100 miles to the Antelope Valley to protest the proposed ordinance, said it will be contested in court. “The one thing I forgot to say in there is, ‘You will be sued,’” attorney Janice Bellucci said outside of City Council chambers Tuesday night moments after she publicly addressed…
Read MoreLake County man gets prison in killing of neighbor he thought was child molester
A Lake County man was sentenced Wednesday to 32-years-to-life in prison for killing a neighbor he mistook for a convicted child molester. Ivan Oliver, 34, was convicted two weeks ago by a jury of first-degree murder for stabbing Michael Dodele 65 times at a Lakeport mobile home park. He also was found guilty of a special allegation of using information from the Megan’s Law website to commit a felony. A confusing entry led Oliver to believe Dodele was a convicted child molester. Dodele, 67, was listed for being a serial…
Read MoreCity of Lancaster: Parks, Museums, Libraries, Bus Stops, Movie Theaters, Halloween – pretty much everything – Ban
VIDEO: On August 28, 2012 the City Council of Lancaster, California unanimously approved the first reading of an ordinance restricting residency and presence of persons required to register as Sex Offenders. California RSOL attended the meeting and spoke in opposition and sent a letter in advance to the City Council. This comprehensive ordinance includes (transcribed from Presentation by Criminal Justice Commission): A. Residency Restriction / proximity to schools and parks (per Jessica’s Law) B. Residency Restriction / multiple Registrants per residence / hotel C. Presence Restriction prohibits presence 300′ from…
Read MoreCity of Cerritos – City Council Meeting re. Parks and Library Ban [Video]
The Cerritos City Council decided unanimously at its August 23 meeting to postpone indefinitely further consideration of a proposed ordinance that would have banned all registrants from city parks, libraries, senior centers, etc. The Council’s decision followed action by California Reform Sex Offender Laws (CA RSOL), including a letter stating the proposed ordinance was unconstitutional and and preempted existing state law as well as testimony from three representatives of CA RSOL. In her testimony, CA RSOL President Janice Bellucci stated that the proposed ordinance, as drafted, would result in a…
Read MoreNew Cerritos ordinance bans sex offenders from city parks, libraries [updated / Video]
California RSOL will be attending this ordinance’s second reading (August 23) to speak in opposition. See letter sent to City Council here. CERRITOS – Registered sex offenders won’t be allowed in city parks or many other public facilities under an ordinance approved last week by the City Council. Gary Berg, the city’s director of community and safety services, told the council Thursday that passing the ordinance isn’t going to prevent crime and enforcing it is problematic. Nevertheless, the council passed the ordinance 4-1. Council members Jim Edwards, Bruce W. Barrows,…
Read MoreSimi Valley sex offender law on track for Halloween [updated with video]
The Simi Valley City Council on Monday night introduced the latest version of a proposed Halloween law aimed at protecting trick-or-treating children from having contact with sex offenders. As initially put forth, the ordinance applied to all 119 of the city’s registered sex offenders. The version introduced at Monday night’s council meeting limited the application of the proposed law just to those convicted pedophiles living in Simi Valley who are publicly listed on the Meagan’s Law website. Full Article
Read MoreSimi Valley council to reconsider Halloween sex offender law
With Halloween just over two months away, the Simi Valley City Council on Monday night will again consider a proposed law aimed at protecting trick-or-treating children from contact with the city’s 119 registered sex offenders. The ordinance is slightly weaker than a previous version, no longer requiring registered sex offenders to post signs on their front doors saying, “No candy or treats at this residence.” Full Article
Read MoreLong Beach police unveil citywide camera system
LONG BEACH – Criminals who come to Long Beach should beware of, and remember to smile for, the cameras. That’s 400 cameras citywide, both publicly and privately owned, that have been linked to the Long Beach Police Department’s communications center as part of a new program that combines law enforcement data with real-time video feeds from parks, beaches, business corridors, the Police Department helicopters and other sources throughout the city. Full Article
Read MoreFilm produced by registered sex offender pulled from festival
A movie filmed partly at Oceanside’s El Camino High School has been pulled at the last minute from the Oceanside International Film Festival, a week after organizers learned the man who made the movie is a registered sex offender. “Music High” – produced, written and directed by Mark Charles Maine of San Diego – was yanked from the lineup Wednesday, a day before the festival was scheduled to start, said festival director Dmitiry Demidov. Full Article More on this story: August 3: Film festival troubled over whether to show sex…
Read MoreSimi Valley – Halloween Ordinance First Reading
Simi Valley City Council Meeting August 20, 2012 – 6:30 PM The City of Simi Valley • 2929 Tapo Canyon Road • Simi Valley, CA 93063 • (805) 583-6700 4B. A public hearing to consider an ordinance adding Title 5, Chapter 43, to the Simi Valley Municipal Code establishing restrictions on registered sex offenders on Halloween. Staff Report – City of Simi Valley
Read MoreJury returns guilty verdict in murder trial of man accused of fatally stabbing neighbor
LAKEPORT, Calif. – On Thursday morning, following a day of deliberations, a jury returned a guilty verdict in the trial of a Lakeport man who was accused of stabbing his neighbor to death because he wrongly believed the man was a child molester. Ivan Garcia Oliver, 34, was found guilty of first-degree murder, burglary and several special allegations for the stabbing death of Michael Dodele. The jury found him not guilty of a charge of elder abuse. Full Article
Read MoreSex offenders in county parks: just 1 of 17 waivers granted (Orange County)
When Orange County’s Board of Supervisors last year banned registered sex offenders from county parks, they included a waiver process in the ordinance so that exceptions could be made. If a sex offender worked on an asphalt crew that was paving a road in a county park, for example, he or she could apply for a waiver, Supervisor Shawn Nelson said at the time. The supervisors assigned the sheriff’s department to decide which waiver applications ought to be granted. That was in April 2011. Full Article *** Letter by OC…
Read MoreFilm festival opts to show movie despite concern about producer’s past
A movie filmed partly at Oceanside’s El Camino High School will be screened as planned at the Oceanside International Film Festival next week, despite concerns that the San Diego man who made it is a registered sex offender. Full Article
Read More