BY BARRY LEVINSON.
Fullerton resident Barry Levinson
UPDATE ON ORDINANCE NO. 3149 – WHIC PROTECTS CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL PREDATORS
WE STILL HAVE MUCH WORK TO DO (STARTING WITH THE NEXT CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON MAY 6TH) TO ENSURE OUR ORDINANCE REMAINS AN EFFECTIVE AND STRONG TOOL IN HELPING US KEEP OUR KIDS SAFE FROM SEXUAL PREDATORS
My wife Susan and I had been instrumental in getting Fullerton Ordinance No. 3149 (the Child Sex Offender Protection Law) passed in 2010. We also have been vigilant in protecting it since that time. We spoke out at the last council meeting to condemn the city for making the decision to not enforce the ordinance for the last year. And we are speaking out now to insist that the public has a role in ensuring that our ordinance does not get repealed but that it gets updated properly.
Please be assured that Susan and I will not rest until we know for sure that Ordinance No. 3149 remains strong and effective to protect the most vulnerable among us, our children! This is not a time to sit back and believe we have won! All of you must be present at our May 6th meeting to let the council, the city manager and the city attorney know that we strongly believe that a public study session must be held to allow for public comment and participation. This must take place before the council votes to accept the city manager’s and city attorney’s recommendations to direct the city attorney (with little or no specific guidance from council) to draft any and all changes and improvements to the Ordinance. We demand an open and transparent process to ensure the very best results. Although Susan and I are relieved that the repeal of Ordinance No. 3149 has been removed from the city’s consideration, we still believe the city has more work to do to ensure that this ordinance is amended and strengthened properly.
Accuracy and attention to detail must be followed to ensure that our amended ordinance makes for a strengthened and effective law. The agenda as seen at: http://ci.fullerton.ca.us/about/meetings_live.asp (click on agenda) displays a number of significant errors.
Agenda Item No. 15 begins as follows:
“In the 1990’s, the federal and state governments enacted various pieces of legislation intended to protect minors from registered sex offenders including megan’s law adopted at the federal level in 1996 and chelsea’s law and the voter-approved Jessica’s law adopted at the state level.”
Fact: Chelsea’s Law was not enacted in the 1990’s as stated above but rather was signed into law by Governor Schwarzenegger in September 2010.
Fact: Jessica’s Law also known as Proposition No. 83 was passed by a vote of the people of California on November 7, 2006 – not in the 1990’s as stated in the agenda item. It was passed by a direct vote of the people agenda item as well. It does not give me comfort that these rather significant errors have been overlooked by our city manager and city attorney and issued as a formal city document.
To summarize, I need dozens of people to attend the May 6th meeting starting at 6:30 PM. Please do not assume others will attend and your presence is not necessary. It is not only necessary, it is vital that you come and speak up for the rights and safety of our children.
Why would the city manager, the city attorney and a majority of our city council be against a public study session that would both allow for the people’s participation and allow for the free flow of factual information that people like myself possess?
#1 by Barry Levinson on May 13, 2014 - 8:41 am
Roger thank you for the compliment. We live in very dangerous times both at home and abroad. At times it seems that I am witnessing a downhill race, and the only question that still needs to be answered is whether the folly at home or abroad will be what brings us down as a society and a country.
I do believe that the apathy of too many of our fellow citizens is the greatest danger to our republic. When apathy reigns supreme, corruption flourishes. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Never ever doubt that an ever growing big government increases the amount of corruption at all levels.
Many good people pick one or even two issues that they feel passionate about and make it their cause celeb. However, if we do not focus our attention on the elephant in the room, big government growing larger and more powerful by the day, it will be almost impossible to address those individual issues many would like to reform.
In my humble opinion, we need the electorate and our elected officials to display 4 attributes in greater numbers in order to stop our country’s downhill spiral: knowledge, involvement, honesty and courage (guts). You can have an elected official that demonstrates the first 3 attributes but if he/she lacks courage (to do the right thing and to stand firm against adversity) that elected official will disappoint us too often.
Courage is not something you are born with. It is not usually taught to us. It is a learning, growing process that can take the better part of a lifetime to acquire. But it always takes each of us to take that first step to stand up for someone or something we believe in no matter what the consequence to ourselves.
I believe that over my lifetime, I have begun to acquire the attribute of courage. I am still working hard to improve that attribute within me. But what I can tell all of you is that once you have acquired a certain level of courage, you become a liberated human being. It is one of the greatest feelings in the world.
Once you take that initial step, you are well on your way to acquiring courage and making a difference for your family, community and country.