[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 MoreTag: California
CA: 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[ACSOL] The City of Commerce, located in Los Angeles County, has repealed its local residency restrictions.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 At the end of the day on Friday, Aug. 30, one bill superseded the usual drama to create a pall over California Democratic unity as LGBTQ legislators and advocates expressed outrage that purported supporters used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…
Read MorePublic Safety Committees Stop AB 884, Pass SB 145
The Assembly’s Public Safety Committee today, by a vote of 3 to 4, stopped Assembly Bill 884. Due to the committee’s vote, AB 884 will not receive further consideration. “This is a great victory for more than 40,000 people who would have been moved from Tier 2, which requires 20 years of registration, to Tier 3, which requires lifetime registration, when the Tiered Registry Law takes effect,” stated ACSOL Executive Director Janice Bellucci. “This positive result came about because more than 75 people testified today in opposition to the bill.”…
Read MoreCA: Judge Allows San Diego Sex Offender Lawsuit To Proceed
[kpbs.org – 4/1/19] San Diego City Council members are under more pressure to repeal an unenforceable law restricting where sex offenders can live in the city, after a federal judge allowed a lawsuit challenging the ordinance to proceed. Judge Barry Ted Moskowitz ruled in January against the city’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit, which was filed in 2017 by a group of unnamed sex offenders. The lawsuit rests heavily on a 2015 decision by the California Supreme Court finding blanket restrictions on where all sex offenders can live increase the…
Read MoreCA: Newsom seeks to halt parole for some murderers and serious offenders. What does that signal?
[latimes.com – 3/26/19] ____ liked to suck on the toes of young boys and has spent the last 16 years in prison because of it. A jury convicted him in 2003 at age 32 in a case that shook Newport Beach, where he was a supervisor in the city’s youth recreation program. He was tried on multiple counts of child molestation and sentenced to two concurrent life terms after being caught in the act by a co-worker. Last week — despite an attempt by Gov. Gavin Newsom to stop it…
Read MoreCA: Lackey Bill Would Put Child Support Evaders on Blast
[eastcountytoday.net – 2/27/19] A bill introduced last week by Assemblyman Tom Lackey would call for the State of California to create a website which would list parents who owe more than $5,000 in child support. According to Assembly Bill 1498, it would showcase delinquent parents who have not been making court-ordered child support payments. The website would publicly display: Obligor’s name photograph amount of child support owed. Read more about this proposed registry
Read MoreCA: Has criminal justice reform gone too far? One California lawmaker thinks so
[abc10.com – 2/21/19] SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Overcrowded prisons. Trying teens as juveniles versus adults. The power of rehabilitation and a belief in second chances. These issues have fueled criminal justice reform in recent years in the state of California. But some say the overhaul has gone too far. People can generally agree, we all want to live in safe communities, but as Assemblymember Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) told ABC10, the devil is in the details. Exactly how to keep communities safe differs depending on who you ask. Enter Proposition 57,…
Read MoreCA: Wiener details 2019 LGBT bills
[ebar.com – 1/2/19] While his bills aimed at addressing California’s housing crisis are expected to be some of the most closely watched legislative fights this year, gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) will also be pushing to pass legislation focused on LGBT issues. … Another bill Wiener plans to introduce this year would prevent gay male adolescents from having to be listed on the state’s sex offender registry. He aims to include a “Romeo/Juliet” clause for gay teenagers so they are treated similarly to their heterosexual counterparts. Under the…
Read MoreCA: Abused then arrested: inside California’s crackdown on sex work
[theguardian.com – 11/28/18\ Willia will never forget the feeling of police officers’ hands on her body. The 37-year-old Sacramento woman says she can’t escape memories of policemen following her down the street or questioning her choice of clothing, scolding her for being outside, threatening her, grabbing her, forcing her into their car, and searching her. Willia is a survivor of abuse and sexual exploitation. But because she has also been a sex worker, she says police have only ever treated her as a criminal. Get Society Weekly: our newsletter for…
Read MoreACSOL Emotional Support Group Meeting Alert in L.A. for Sat, Oct 27
ACSOL will conduct an Emotional Support Group for registrants and their loved ones on Saturday, Oct 27, beginning at 10 a.m. at: ACLU Building 1313 W. 8th Street Los Angeles Free parking is available under the building and there is no charge to attend the meeting. The meeting, which is based upon 12 Step principles, will provide registrants and their loved ones with an opportunity to discuss personal challenges. We look forward to seeing you there!
Read MoreCA: Governor Brown signs landmark legislation to remove barriers to licensing and decrease recidivism
[rootandrebound.org – press release] [Note: AB 2138 will not benefit those convicted of a sex offense] Sacramento, CA—This past weekend, Governor Edmund “Jerry” Brown signed AB 2138, authored by Assemblymembers David Chiu and Evan Low, to remove barriers for occupational licensing for close to 8 million Californians living with criminal records. AB 2138 was supported by a coalition of 50+ organizations, including East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC), Root & Rebound, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children (LSPC), All of Us or None, Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Alameda County Public Defender, PolicyLink,…
Read MoreCA: When Handing Out Candy To Trick-or-Treaters Means Risking Arrest
[theappeal.org – 10/1/18] Lawyer [Janice M. Bellucci] seeks end to Halloween restrictions that target people convicted of sex offenses. Before the police apprehended Steve, he tried to kill himself by cutting his wrists, he told The Appeal. Then 20 years old, he had attempted to sexually assault a 12-year-old girl in California. “I couldn’t believe I had done that,” said Steve, whose name has been changed to protect his identity. “I felt I couldn’t live with myself.” He spent three years in prison, and after he was released, stayed in…
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