California Governor Gavin Newsom has issued the state’s first pardon to a registrant. The pardon was issued to Bayard Rustin, a colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on February 4. Rustin was convicted of a sex offense and required to register as a sex offender in Los Angeles in 1953 because he participated in a consensual adult sex act with another man. “We celebrate the courage and wisdom of Governor Newsom in his decision to issue a pardon to Bayard Rustin,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This is…
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CA: San Diego Settles ACSOL Suit On Sex Offender Residency Law
[kpbs.org – 2/6/20] The city of San Diego has settled a lawsuit challenging a city law that limits where convicted sex offenders can live, agreeing to enforce the law only against those who are on parole. The 2008 ordinance bans all registered sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of a school, park or other facility that caters to children. The city has never enforced the law, however, because of concerns over its constitutionality. In 2015, the California Supreme Court overturned a nearly identical law covering unincorporated San Diego County.…
Read MoreCA: DA drops serial rape charges against reality TV doctor and girlfriend, saying case was ‘manufactured’
[washingtonpost.com – 2/5/20] California prosecutors are dropping all charges against an Orange County surgeon and his girlfriend after concluding that the previous district attorney “manufactured” the high-profile 2018 case in which the couple was accused of serially drugging and raping women. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said in a news release Tuesday that after his office reviewed the case, investigators found “no provable evidence” to support the charges against ____ a 39-year-old orthopedic surgeon and former reality TV star, and his girlfriend _____, a 33-year-old dance instructor. The decision…
Read MoreCA: San Diego Officially Rescinds Sex Offender Law
[nbcsandiego.com – 1/22/20] The city of San Diego has agreed to remove a law that restricted potential living locations for registered sex offenders who are no longer on parole for their crimes. The decision was part of a legal settlement that officially puts an end to the city’s Child Protection Act of 2008. The law prohibited all registered sex offenders regardless of parole status from living less than a half-mile from schools, parks, and other public places. In 2009 the city decided to no longer enforce the Child Protection Act…
Read MoreACSOL Argues Prop. 57 Case Before Appellate Court
ACSOL argued in support of Prop. 57 yesterday before the Third Court Court of Appeals in Sacramento. At issue in the case are regulations issued by the CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) that exclude everyone convicted of a sex offense from receiving the benefits of that ballot proposition. A trial court decided in favor of ACSOL’s position in March 2018 and declared that CDCR’s regulations were invalid because they impermissibly alter and amend the terms of Prop. 57. CDCR appealed that decision and the trial court’s decision was…
Read MoreCA: New AB 218 law allowing childhood sexual assault victims more time to report draws widespread praise
CALIFORNIA: [ocregister.com – 10/15/19] AB 218 extends statute of limitations allowing victims to file lawsuits up until age 40. Advocates, lawyers and victims across the state on Monday lauded a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom allowing victims of childhood sexual assault more time to file lawsuits. Assembly Bill 218 affects those abused in many walks of life, from Olympics swimmers and schoolchildren to Boy Scouts and young Catholic churchgoers. The bill, signed by the governor on Sunday and taking effect Jan. 1, gives victims of childhood sexual…
Read MoreCA: State court revives psychotherapist challenge to law on patients who reveal child porn activity
[sfchronicle.com – 12/26/19] The California Supreme Court revived a challenge by psychotherapists Thursday to a state law requiring them to notify the government about any patient who has viewed child pornography. The law, passed in 2014, expanded statutes from the 1980s that required therapists to report to police or child welfare offices — or face loss of their licenses and criminal prosecution — when a patient has produced, distributed or duplicated images of juveniles engaged in sexual activity. The new law extended the requirement to patients who downloaded or viewed…
Read MoreCA: Federal Court Voids San Diego Residency Restrictions [NEW LINKS]
[New related links added] [ACSOL] A federal district court determined today that San Diego’s residency restrictions are void. As a result, the city cannot restrict where a registrant who is not on parole may reside. “The court’s decision today settles plaintiffs’ Motion for Partial Summary Judgment, but does not settle the entire case,” explained civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci. “We will continue the case in order to protect the rights of all registrants who choose to reside in San Diego.” Plaintiffs filed their motion on June 27…
Read MoreCA: Sex crimes by cops an outgrowth of their ‘power and coercive authority,’ expert says
[ocregister.com – 11/12/19] LAPD officers who took advantage of their power imbalance to commit sexual assaults fit national trends, says prominent criminologist. LAPD officers Luis Valenzuela and James C. Nichols sexually assaulted a woman at this McDonald’s parking lot, located at 405 N Alvarado St. at W. Temple St. in Los Angeles. They were on duty using a black Jetta. Photographed on Monday, Sept. 23, 2019. (Photo by Cindy Yamanaka, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG) By Olga Grigoryants | [email protected] and Sarah Favot | Los Angeles Daily News PUBLISHED: November 12, 2019 at…
Read MoreCA: County jail inmates announce hunger strike to protest ‘price gouging’
[calaverasenterprise.com – 9/25/19] Seventeen inmates at the Calaveras County Jail have announced their plan to initiate a hunger strike in protest of “outrageous prices” for telephone calls and commissary items including soup and ramen noodles. “Not only are we afflicted, but our families as well,” the inmates wrote in a letter to the Enterprise. “We have made attempts at every other level to have this situation resolved, to no avail. We are hoping that the public can get involved and know the real situation that is going on here.” advertisement…
Read MoreCA: Can Sex Offenders Legally Live Next Door To Schools?
[sacramento.cbslocal.com – 9/19/19] An Olivehurst Grandmother is furious after learning that a sex offender is living just feet away from her neighborhood elementary school. “I’m concerned about people not being aware of the sex offenders in the area,” said Robyn Gorham. Gorham says she was stunned to find out how many sex offenders lived just down the street from Cedar Lane Elementary, where her grandson is set to attend. “There are parents here and I don’t think they’re aware of what’s right in our neighborhood,” said Gorham. A quick search…
Read MoreCA: City of Commerce Repeals Local Residency Restrictions
[ACSOL] The City of Commerce, located in Los Angeles County, has repealed its local residency restrictions. The repeal took place during a City Council meeting held on September 3. The City Council’s actions took place after its residency restrictions were challenged in Los Angeles Superior Court in a lawsuit filed April 22. This lawsuit is 1 of 37 lawsuits filed thus far challenging residency restrictions adopted by cities and counties in California. Prior to filing of this lawsuit, ACSOL warned the City of Commerce in a letter that the city’s…
Read MoreCA: Democrats incur LGBTQ wrath over sex offender registry bill SB 145
[losangelesblade.com – 9/6/19] During a week of flurry before Labor Day, the California Assembly and Senate Appropriations Committees determined which final legislation to pass to the floor for votes and which to suspend for this session. At the end of the day on Friday, Aug. 30, one bill superseded the usual drama to create a pall over California Democratic unity as LGBTQ legislators and advocates expressed outrage that purported supporters used anti-LGBTQ messaging to woo electoral votes in 2020. … However, in a move that infuriated LGBTQ advocates and law…
Read MoreCA: Police: Men Mistook Homeless Man for Sex Offender, Beat Him to Death
[fox40.com – 9/2/19] MODESTO — Police in Modesto say two men beat a homeless man to death with their bare hands after mistaking him for a sex offender. Those who knew him say 63-year-old Jace Decker was often found sitting on a bench in Garrison Park. “He minded his own business for the most part. He just was going through his own life struggles and different adversities,” friend Donnie Bibbs said. Acquaintances say Decker was a husband with a broken heart. “Pretty decent life and everything and, now, I think…
Read MoreCA: Program lets victims confront offenders
[avpress.com – 7/9/19] SACRAMENTO— California officials are experimenting with a new diversion program for criminals that includes allowing victims to directly confront their offenders. The budget that took effect July 1 includes $5 million to fund the program for five years in a county with a history of high crime, although it has been tried elsewhere and is more frequently used with juvenile offenders. The California program is for offenders of any age. It will pair victims and offenders before they are convicted, and offenders who complete the program can…
Read MoreCA: ______ Isn’t A Sex Offender. But He’s Still on the Registry For Life
[theappeal.org – 5/13/19] California’s expansive registry law forces people to pay for crimes they didn’t personally commit. Search for _____ California’s online database of registered sex offenders and you’ll see a snapshot of his offenses. You’ll learn that he was convicted of “rape in concert with force or violence” and “assault with intent to commit a specified sex offense.” You’ll also see his photo, his home address, and his birthdate, showing that he’s now 38. But you won’t learn that ___was labeled a sex offender for an assault that someone…
Read MoreAction Alert: CA Senate Bill 145 Hearing ON HOLD
5/5/19 UPDATE: THIS BILL IS ON HOLD. MORE UPDATES AS WE FIND OUT MORE . Please take action quickly even if you are not directly affected by this. We want to show our support for Senator Scott Weiner, author of the Tiered Registry Law and SB 145. Senate Bill 145, which would create equality for the purpose of registration between heterosexual and homosexual couples, is scheduled to be considered by the Senate Appropriations Hearing on Monday, May 6. The hearing will begin at 10 a.m. in Room 4203 of the…
Read MoreCA: Appeals court strikes down state law that banned early parole for youthful violent sex offenders
[sfchronicle.com – 4/10/19] Two men who received life sentences for a brutal sexual assault and robbery in Oakland when they were 19 must be given parole hearings during their 25th year in prison, a state appeals court ruled Wednesday, striking down a state law that made them ineligible. A California law signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in 2017, one of a series of laws reducing mandatory penalties for youthful offenders, allowed those serving potential life terms for crimes committed when they were 25 or under to be considered for…
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