Lake Forest is reconsidering its ban on registered sex offenders in city parks.
The City Council will take up the matter tonight, when it gets a staff report saying the ban, which took effect in January, has done little to improve park safety.
Lake Forest was sued over the law in September on grounds that it violates free speech and assembly rights. The city attorney figures it will cost the city hundreds of thousands of dollars to defend the suit.
The report under consideration by the City Council says the county has done a good job of tracking and monitoring the few sex offenders who live in Lake Forest -- and that the city's law could be found to conflict with state law.
Lake Forest's law is modeled after one passed by Orange County but is stricter. Whereas the county ban allows sex offenders to enter county parks if they have written permission from the Sheriff's Department, Lake Forest allows no exceptions.
The council meets tonight at 7 p.m. at City Hall.
Any 1st year law student at a 3rd rate law school could probably sniff this one out a long, long time ago. You see, the US Constitution applies to everyone inside the country. 'Inalienable rights' are labeled such for a reason. They can't be legitimately taken away by man since they were not originally granted by man. They are a birthright. But even our esteemed government leaders who demand our respect for their highly acclaimed knowledge still can't seem to grasp this fundamental principle of American life. But will the ones who voted to ban sex offenders from the parks have to pay any price. No. But the taxpayers will. And it's questionable whether Lake Forest can turn back the hands of time on this one. Are many sex offenders disgusting. Sure. But the Constitution protects disgusting people too. And thank your lucky stars it does. Otherwise we would have gulags, not jails in America. You blew it, Lake Forest City Council. You owe your citizens an apology. They won't demand one. But as purported decent human beings, you owe them one anyway. Next time think independently and don't jump into a vat of quick sand just because your neighbor did and invited you to join him.
Yes, after spending upwards of $1M to fight medical marijuana which is still undecided I guess the Council is once burned twice shy. Maybe if the City Council approved prostitution in Lake Forest that sex crimes would go down. Has anyone proposed that? Heck, the City has approved horse race gambling. I bet if they built a bordello next to the horse race gambling facility and put a $5 tax on every John that the City could make another $100,000 a year in revenue and with that construct a 'family values' memorial in front of City Hall! heh. :^) There is no IQ testing for a city council position in any city. All you need is a bright smile, a good line of hogwash and a propensity to spend other people's money at the drop of a hat without feeling any remorse. It's not a bad gig if you have the bucks to buy a seat.
Based on that decision, the City of Irvine dismissed a similar case, with the interesting side note that the Irvine ordinance is the least restrictive in the County, certainly less so than the Lake Forest one. At least give the Lake Forest City Council credit for attempting damage control, albeit with reasons cited - possible litigation cost and really, a non-existing problem - that were the same as were presented last year in opposition to the ban and are not exactly rocket science. That the whole exercise was politically motivated should be clear now. But it is not like the people do not have a voice and choice. It occurred to me that at this point I, if I were a registered sex offender, would sue all the cities that do not immediately initiate the repeal process based on the court decision. So fast your head would spin! I am almost certain some ambulance chaser could be found to take the cases on the promise of attorney fees alone. Hellooooo Mission Viejo! How about that dog park battle last night? I guess we'll see what happens tonight...