Los Alamitos Council approves ordinance to make city parks ‘child safety zones’

With the example of the City of Westminster successfully convicting a registered sex offender of violating a city ordinance and with Susan Kang Schroeder, chief of staff for the office of the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA) in the audience ready to answer questions, the first reading of a proposed ordinance to “establish city parks as child safety zones” was unanimously approved after supportive comments from all Council members and no public comment or questions.

With surprising swiftness, the OCDA put out a press release applauding Los Alamitos for adopting the ordinance.

The applause is premature.

The ordinance must receive a second reading and a second vote of approval before it is really is adopted.

Setting aside procedural niceties, the ordinance was a project of Mayor Pro Tem Troy Edgar. It hands Los Alamitos police another tool to keep all registered sex offenders away from children.

According to a staff report, the new City ordinance is similar to a County ordinance adopted by the Orange County Board of Supervisors, developed and proposed by Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackaukas and Fourth District Supervisor Shawn Nelson. The County ordinance applies only to County recreational areas.

Once approved a second time, the new City ordinance will require that all registered sex offenders ask for written permission from the Los Alamitos Police Department before entering a City park.

At the current time, eleven sex offenders are registered with the Los Alamitos Police Department.

Irvine swim coach sentenced in sex with 15-year-old (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
Publisher arrested on suspicion of extorting sex offender’s family (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
Los Alamitos bans sex offenders from parks and playgrounds (latimesblogs.latimes.com)
OCDA launches child-abduction Facebook page (oc-breeze.com)
Los Alamitos police blotter, October 14 to October 20 (oc-breeze.com)
Inland Empire sex offenders banned from Halloween decorations (abclocal.go.com)
Room with a View: Life, death and politics (oc-breeze.com)
California Sex Offenders Banned From Halloween (huffingtonpost.com)
New chief of OCDA Bureau of Investigation sworn in (oc-breeze.com)

About the Author

shelley

Shelley Henderson is a reformed computer and networking geek turned freelance writer. Now she only fixes her own networks and computers. That leaves time for writing, and writing and more writing. And editing the Orange County Breeze. Shelley most enjoys visiting and finding out about local businesses to write business profiles that allow our communities to learn more about their local businesses and the people who own and run them. If you own or manage a business in our coverage area and would like to invite Shelley to write a business profile, let us know.