In San Bernardino County
San Bernardino County
Supervisor Chairman James Ramos also applauded Senator Leyva saying, “The Board knows how to protect the most
vulnerable people in our county. We want to return control back to local
jurisdictions. I thank Senator Leyva for introducing this legislation to allow
our local governments to make decisions affecting our residents.”
SAN BERNARDINO - To protect the safety of our children in
California, Senator Connie Leyva has introduced SB 267 Keep our Kids Safe Act of 2015. The bill, which is also
sponsored by the County of San Bernardino, will strengthen the ability of
cities and counties to build upon existing protections from the offenders
living in communities throughout the state.
In 2014, the 4th District Court of Appeal, Division 3, ruled
that local jurisdictions are preempted by state law from enacting further
restrictions on the presence of sex offenders. The bill aims to restore local
control of sex offenders after the Board of Supervisors reluctantly repealed a
county ordinance that regulated where sex offenders could visit in
unincorporated areas of the county. The proposed legislation is not intended to
conflict with, but to supplement, existing law by allowing local municipalities
the authority to impose the additional restrictions on the known locations
where sex offenders may reside and frequent.
In the County of San Bernardino, there are over 3,400 registered sex
offenders. The bill would allow local jurisdictions the
ability to enact ordinances that restrict where sex offenders may be present
without preemption of state law.
The Board of Supervisors is pleased with the leadership
Senator Leyva demonstrated with the unveiling of the bill. Vice Chairman Robert
Lovingood stated, "This is a good example of the state and county working
together on solutions to protect families and children. This bill gives us
greater local control, and that's a great thing."