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 And we are speaking out now to insist that the public has a role in ensuring that our ordinance does not get repealed but that it gets updated properly.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 7, 2014 - 7:34 pm
I REPORT, YOU DECIDE!
RESULTS FROM TONIGHT’S FULLERTON COUNCIL MEETING
Good News: The Assessment of Ordinance 3149 was postponed until next council session. In the meantime, I will be providing the city attorney, the city manager and all council members with a bullet point list of all the changes I believe are necessary to amend our current ordinance and make it better, stronger, and more able to withstand any legal challenge in the future. I will also be providing a working draft revision of our ordinance incorporating the changes I believe are necessary.
James Touchstone the go to attorney in the Jones and Mayer law office will then compare his revisions with mine and hopefully, we end of with a great new revised ordinance that provides the best possible protection for our kids and is written to help withstand any future legal challenges.
I believe the council at the urging of Council member Flory took a large leap into the future by allowing me to be a part of the process to come up with this revised ordinance. I have to give credit to Ms. Flory because it was her idea to postpone this agenda item for 2 weeks to allow me the time and the opportunity to provide my input. Something, that I have been working to achieve for quite some time now!
Now I have the challenge to provide the city with a great product which will serve the community but especially the parents and their kids.
I also want to thank all of you who have participated at our city council meetings as well as those who came to Polly’s to help us get this important effort under way.
I am very hopeful that this collaborative effort will result in a very good end product and that should be considered a big win for everyone except those child sex offenders who were hoping to move next to their favorite school or park. Sorry guys but you will have to look for park front or school front property in some other city.
Please know that the passage of a first rate revised ordinance, is not my endgame. After successfully completing the above goal I intend with Susan’s help and support, to push to get Jessica’s Law fixed by attaching penalties to it.
#2 by Joe Imbriano on May 8, 2014 - 8:01 am
Both Mr. and Mrs. Levinson are to be commended for their efforts. Their literal years of dedication to this issue have now payed the dividends of Fullerton becoming a safer place for our children. I believe we should not have to babysit our council. In this case, it is a good thing that we did.
Government belongs on a short leash. We intend to keep the light of day on their dealings and keep the collar tight as it should be.