For Immediate Release: January 11, 2008
Contact: Karen Clifton
Phone: (559) 445-5532

Fresno, CA – Assemblymember Juan Arambula (D-Fresno) announced legislation today that seeks to protect children livning in small rural cities from registered sex offenders.

AB 601, authored by Assemblymember Arambula, would make modifications to Proposition 83, also known as Jessica’s Law, which determines where registered sex offenders can live once they are paroled.  The proposed law creates a task force that would develop model ordinances to help small rural communities better use Jessica’s Law. The task force would include representatives from local government (city and county), law enforcement, state government, community leaders and crime victims’ organizations.

“Rural communities have very different and unique needs when it comes to protecting our children from sexual predators,” said Assemblymember Arambula.  “This bill is an important step in providing guidance to small governments so they can enact Jessica’s Law to better protect their community.”

Under current law, registered sex offenders cannot live within 2000 feet of any public or private school or park where children regularly gather.  According to Arambula, in urban areas these 2000 feet exclusion zones could create large areas where registered sex offenders cannot live.  Arambula also stated that this provision may have the unintended consequence of pushing sex offenders into rural areas in greater numbers.  Allowing sex offenders to go unnoticed and live within reach of children.

“While larger cities are cracking down on registered sex offenders, our fear is that they may flea to smaller rural cities that do not have the resources to deal with an increased sex offender population.  We have to protect our children and improve the law where it is lacking,” said Assemblymember Arambula.

Proposition 83, Jessica’s Law, was passed in November 2006 by California voters with the intent of increasing the public’s safety from sexual predators.