In a ruling applauded by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, the California Supreme Court upheld restrictions that would prohibit sex offenders from living near schools and parks. In a 5-2 vote, the court ruled that residency requirement applied to all registered sex offenders, even those who were paroled before the measure was passed in November 2006.
The law prohibits registered sex offenders from living with 2,000 feet of schools or parks where children gather. Four parolees filed suit, saying there was no place they could live. The four were paroled before the law passed and none were on parole at that time.
Justice Carlos R. Moreno said in his dissenting opinion that the law did not state it would be retroactive. The ACLU says the ruling would lead to more homelessness among sex offenders.
Schwarzenegger said he was pleased by the ruling and called the residency requirement “an important public safety measure.”
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jessicas-law2-2010feb02,1,7117062.story
