A registered sex offender filed a federal lawsuit last week against the city of Grover Beach challenging an ordinance that makes it a crime for sex offenders to set up residency in most of the city. The law suit is the first filed against a city since the California Supreme Court’s decision declared such restrictions unconstitutional. Full Article
Read MoreTag: Federal Law Suit
Grover Beach Ordinance challenged in Federal Court
A lawsuit was filed today in federal district court challenging an ordinance recently adopted by the City of Grover Beach. The ordinance prohibits California sex offenders (“registrants”) from living within 2,000 feet of any school, park, or day care center. This is the first lawsuit to be filed challenging a city’s residency restrictions after the California Supreme Court’s decision which declared such restrictions unconstitutional. Civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci filed the lawsuit on behalf of Frank Lindsay, who has resided in Grover Beach for 18 years. According to Bellucci, the…
Read MoreWary of lawsuits, Downey rolls back restrictions on sex offenders
DOWNEY – The City Council on Tuesday reluctantly but unanimously voted to roll back its residency restrictions on registered sex offenders after the state Supreme Court ruled that similar restrictions in San Diego County are unconstitutional. … Councilman Sean Ashton instructed Garcia to investigate whether the city can bill sex offenders to cover the costs of police supervision. “I don’t want sex offenders here. I don’t care where else they have to go, I just don’t want them here,” he said. Full Article City Council Video at 1:31:30
Read MoreCalifornia RSOL Leads Successful Protest in Carson
California RSOL led a successful protest in Carson, which included a diverse group of about 50 registered citizens, family members and supporters. It is believed to be the first protest of registered citizens in the nation. “We broke new ground in Carson on March 7, 2015, the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s march from Selma, Alabama,” stated CA RSOL president Janice Bellucci. “The core issue in both protests was the violation of civil rights.” The Carson protest focused upon a city law that prohibits registered citizens from…
Read MoreCity Council takes action on sex offender ordinance
Canyon Lake, CA – California has the highest rate of sexual offenders in the nation. The Sexual Predator Punishment and Control Act, also known as Jessica’s Law, was passed by California voters on November 7, 2006. One of the major provisions of Proposition 83 limits where sex offenders may live. This measure prohibits any person required to register as a sex offender from living within 2,000 feet of any school or park. Full Article List of Presence Restrictions Lawsuits
Read MoreCritics of Carson’s sex offender laws say they are too strict
For Frank Lindsay, the city of Carson feels like an obstacle course whenever he visits his relatives. He makes sure to stay clear of all city parks. If he’s hungry, he avoids the local McDonald’s, which includes a playground for toddlers. The library, where children have reading time, is off-limits. So is the local mall, which has a play lighthouse for youngsters to climb. Full Article
Read MoreLawsuits leave us more vulnerable to sex offenders (Opinion)
Inland dwellers take note: unless state lawmakers take action, registered sex offenders will likely have a great deal more leeway in choosing where they live and congregate in the very near future. Santa Maria civil rights attorney and one plaintiff, a 62-year-old registered sex offender, have been on a tear over the past year, challenging ordinances up and down the state that bar sex offenders from living near schools, parks, libraries and other public places where children might be. Full Article
Read MoreMURRIETA: Sex offender ‘safety zone’ ordinance repealed
They weren’t happy about it, but all five members of the Murrieta City Council voted this week in favor of repealing an ordinance that made it illegal for sex offenders to loiter near areas frequented by children. Full Article
Read MoreSex-Offender Laws to Be Weakened
Prompted by two adverse appellate court decisions and a lawsuit springing from them, the board of supervisors on Tuesday gave tentative approval to amendments to the county code that would strike down certain provisions defining where registered sex offenders may visit when children are present. The changes, due for a final vote on Feb. 10, would repeal the so-called “presence” provisions in the county code, language that prevents sex offenders from being within 300 feet of various locations where children might congregate. Full Article
Read MoreSan Bernardino County to pare down sex-offender ordinance
Registered sex offenders in San Bernardino County will be able to move more freely within their communities after the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved repealing restrictions on offender presence and movement in the county’s unincorporated areas. The gutting of the county’s 8-year-old sex offender ordinance would fulfill the terms of a legal settlement between the county and civil rights attorney Janice Bellucci, reached in December. Full Article
Read MoreSex offender laws loosened
Three cities in San Diego County repealed their laws restricting sex offender access to city parks and schools last year, and one is still working to resolve a lawsuit filed over the now defunct rules. La Mesa, Santee, National City and more than 70 other cities across the state received letters last Spring warning them they could be sued if they didn’t rescind their rules barring registered sex offenders from certain city spaces. Full Article
Read MoreSan Bernardino County, Victorville revise sex offender ordinances after civil rights lawsuits
San Bernardino County and the city of Victorville have settled lawsuits with a civil rights attorney challenging the constitutionality of both municipalities’ sex offender ordinances. Victorville has agreed to revise its 8-year-old ordinance to conform with state law, which prohibits registered sex offenders from residing within 2,000 feet of a school or park and bans those on parole and whose victims were under the age of 14 from visiting public parks without the express permission of their parole agent. Full Article
Read MoreVictorville to mull sex offender laws [UPDATED]
12/17/2014: Victorville aligns sex offender laws with state VICTORVILLE — The City Council this week reluctantly agreed to align its local ordinance restricting the movements of registered sex offenders with a statewide system already in place. Victorville on Tuesday became one of at least 15 municipalities throughout the state this year to either repeal their ordinances or rewrite them to mirror state law. Others who have done so include Hesperia, Adelanto and Apple Valley. Full Article — VICTORVILLE — Amid a growing precedent and under pressure from a reform activist…
Read MoreOK: Federal court ruling could soon affect Oklahoma sex offenders
OKLAHOMA CITY – Thousands of Oklahoma sex offenders could soon have free reign on the internet after a federal appeals court ruled it’s a 1st amendment violation to monitor their online activity. Right now, most sex offenders in our state are not allowed to use the internet. The recent ruling was on a California case, but it’s expected that the federal court that oversees Oklahoma cases will likely review it and make a similar ruling. Full Article
Read MoreNational City Repeals Sex Offender Ordinance
National City’s lawmakers voted unanimously Tuesday night to remove an ordinance restricting predatory sex offenders from parks and other places where children gather. The 2005 rule said convicted sex offenders must stay 300 feet away from schools and parks. So why did the city council make such an unpopular move? Full Article
Read MoreLOS ANGELES COUNTY SEX OFFENDER ORDINANCE CHALLENGED IN FEDERAL DISTRICT COURT
A sex offender ordinance adopted by Los Angeles County is the subject of a lawsuit filed today in federal district court on behalf of a registered sex offender (“registered citizen”). This is the 25th in a series of lawsuits challenging sex offender ordinances adopted by local governments. “The California Court of Appeal ruled in January 2014 that city and county ordinances that restrict the presence of registered citizens are unlawful,” stated attorney Janice Bellucci. “Despite notice of more than eight months, Los Angeles County has failed to repeal or revise…
Read MoreCounty sued over sex offender ordinance
Seeking to protect civil rights for a “socially outcast minority,” the California chapter of Reform Sex Offender Laws this year has sued 22 municipalities for ordinances that the group contends are inconsistent statewide and unconstitutional, the organization’s president said Monday. San Bernardino County on Oct. 14 was the latest target of California Reform Sex Offender Laws, which is led by Santa Maria attorney Janice Bellucci. Full Article Earlier Article
Read MoreSex-offender laws are ineffective and unfair, critics say
____ ____, 62, is a father, small-business owner and avid surfer. He’s also one of 105,000 people in California — and 760,000 nationally — listed as a sex offender. In accordance with federal law, his name, photograph and home address appear in a public, online offender registry. In 1979, ____, then 27, was convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a minor under the age of 14. “I thought I could do whatever I wanted,” ____ says. “Add on some alcohol, and I was a real asshole.” Today, ____ considers himself a…
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