Mitzelfelt’s Sex-Offender Tracking Team Approved

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As you may be aware, the State of California has begun enforcing sex-offender residency restrictions of Jessica’s Law – the ballot initiative that was overwhelmingly passed by California Voters last November giving California the toughest anti-child-predator laws in the nation. I worked hard to help get this new law passed because of its stiff sentencing provisions, lifetime GPS monitoring, and its requirements that registered sex offenders not live within 2,000 feet of a school or park. We even passed stricter guidelines for county areas, including a prohibition against offenders loitering within 300 feet of a school or park.

However, we did anticipate that such restrictions might encourage such offenders to locate to more rural areas because of their wide-open spaces.

Ten months after voter approval of Jessica’s Law and after several legal challenges, the state department of Corrections and Rehabilitation recently notified upwards of 2,000 parolee sex offenders that they had to move their place of residence within 45 days. We were notified of this after all of the notifications had been completed.

Responding to this immediate concern over the specter of a sudden influx of new offenders to our area, I worked with Sheriff Gary Penrod to devise a plan to ensure that we are prepared to keep track of any increased number of sex offenders that may come our way. Sheriff Penrod and I proposed that the county provide supplemental Sheriff’s staff to support multi-agency efforts to locate, monitor, and investigate sex offenders in San Bernardino County.

I am extremely happy to announce that on September 25th, my colleagues and I on the Board of Supervisors approved our sex-offender tracking team program. The plan will add two new staff members to the Sheriff’s Crimes Against Children unit. The positions being requested include one Sheriff’s Special Program Coordinator and one Detective. The Program Coordinator will work directly with personnel from the Sheriff’s Department, Probation Department and the District Attorney’s Office to initiate, organize and coordinate efforts to track sex offenders. The detective will track and investigate sex offenders, including those who are already in the county as well as offenders who may relocate to the county. The annual cost of the new positions, including equipment and vehicles, is expected to be approximately $270,000.

Sheriff Penrod, who attended the Board meeting when the item was considered, said the program will be “a huge help for us.”

I believe that Sheriff Penrod has been doing an effective job of keeping track of sex offenders (he has achieved a 95-percent compliance rate for Megan’s Law offender registrants). Further, I believe that with these additional resources, he’ll be able to continue building upon San Bernardino County’s reputation as a county sex offenders will want to avoid.

Sep

20

‘Board Supports Tax Hike Amendment; But Mitzelfelt votes no to endorsing SCA 12′

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SAN BERNARDINO – The Board of Supervisors with the exception of Brad Mitzelfelt urged the state Legislature to approve a constitutional amendment that could lead to a tax increase. …

… From the Daily Press, September 19, 2007, By Ryan Orr, Staff Writer… Link to online article: http://www.vvdailypress.com/news/amendment_2879___article.html/california_larson.html

…”They’re supporting a bill that would change the constitution to take away rights to vote,” said Jon Coupal, president of the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association.

Senate Constitutional Amendment 12 would amend the California Constitution by removing a protection set forth in Proposition 218. Under Proposition 218, the Right to Vote on Taxes Act, local governments must conduct a ballot election for any property-related fee increases with the exception of water, sewer or solid waste service. The amendment would lump in storm-water runoff in with sewer service and make it exempt as well.

“I actually I believe SCA 12 is really contrary to the voter’s rights to vote on taxes,” said Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, the only supervisor to vote against supporting the amendment. “Whenever given a choice to give voters a say, we should give them that say,” he said.

But the county’s director of legislative affairs Lance Larson said the board is not voting on a tax increase, but instead letting the voters decide. If SCA 12 passes it will go on a ballot for California’s to vote on, said Larson. “We’re just giving the option of putting to a statewide ballot, to include urban runoff and flood control in property-related fees,” Larson said, “because California has a huge flood-control issue.”

The amendment is a two-year bill and although it has passed through two committees, it would not reach the Senate floor until at least January. Larson said the amendment is supported by the California League of Cities, California State Association of Counties and Inland Empire Waterkeeper. “A lot of folks have supported this,” Larson said. “I think we have to look at a lot of options concerning infrastructure.”

Sep

19

‘Supervisors Vote to Stop Early Release’

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‘Ramos and 19 DAs, Others Will Take Case to Court’ … From the Victor Valley Daily Press, September 18, 2007, by Ryan Orr, Staff Writer… “SAN BERNARDINO â€” The Board of Supervisors joined the fight Tuesday to stop the early release of prisoners in California that would include 2,500 coming to San Bernardino County. In closed session, the board voted to ratify the position taken by District Attorney Michael A. Ramos to intervene in the pending litigation that could result in a prison population cap.

“Ramos and 19 other county District Attorneyâ€™s throughout the state have joined the battle. Despite Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the state Legislature coming up with a $7.8 billion bond to curb the prison overcrowding problem, a federal three-judge panel was created that could release prisoners early. ‘Weâ€™re pretty concerned about it,’ said Ramos who added that if the panel decides on a population cap, it would mean an initial release of 35,000 inmates statewide. Ramos said that within six months of being paroled, 70 percent of California ex-convicts commit another crime. Just from those paroled in San Bernardino County, Ramos said they would be looking at 1,800 new crimes.

“‘We do need to prepare for the worst,’ said Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt, who added that he was cautiously optimistic that the federal court could be convinced not to release the prisoners.

“Ramos said the first court date is Monday in San Francisco and that when the time comes, he will be willing to testify to the three-judge panel about how the early release of prisoners would affect him as a district attorney and the residents of San Bernardino County. If the panel decides to release the prisoners, Ramos said the next option would be to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.”