This morning I was reading the Californian, an edition of the North County Times, when a front page (above the fold) correction jumped out at me.
Here’s what Romenesko had to say about the bad “joke.”
This morning I was reading the Californian, an edition of the North County Times, when a front page (above the fold) correction jumped out at me.
Here’s what Romenesko had to say about the bad “joke.”
Well not really. This one is a motel…Close to Disneyland and Knott’s. Nice going California. This information comes from a letter I received today here’s the letter:
Frank:
I read your column regarding RSO’s in Altadena with interest. I sent this email to DOJ in November of 2007. To date I have had no response.
Jim Burton
—–Original Message—–
From: jim burton []
Sent: Friday, November 02, 2007 7:21 PM
To: ‘MegansLaw@doj.ca.gov’
Subject: budget motelTo Whom it May Concern;
36 of the 62 RSO’s living in Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670 and according to the CA Attorney General’s Meagan’s Law Site, are registered to a budget motel 13420 Firestone Blvd. One appears to be registered to 13530 Firestone Blvd.
I have comments and questions:
Questions:
1. Is the travelling public made aware by law, law enforcement, or public or private policy that a budget motel near disneyland and knott’s berry farm is occupied by 37 Registered Sex Offenders?
2. Would a California citizen i.e. a man, wife, and 3 small children stay at this motel if this information were presented to them prior to their check-in?
3. What liability would accrue to state or local governments should a crime occur against one of these kids, or their parents for that matter?
4. Do you think that an effort should be made to pass legislation that would require these facilities occupied by RSO’s be required to advise the public?
Comments:
1. This motel seems to be in a good location to provide residences to RSO’s. It is a very industrial area and near some restaurants and possible places of employment.
2. It seems that it is a matter of time that a serious crime will occurr unless there is some notification of the public that may happen by for a break in their travels and check in to this place.
I would appreciate a response
Respectfully,
Jim Burton
Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670
I wrote a story in todays paper about a Valinda home that was boarded up by county officials Wednesday. During my walk through with two dozen other sheriffs deputies and firefighters, I heard a lot of interesting comments about the home – which, to say the least, was severely run-down.
But one seemed to sum it all up. As promised, Im not going to name the person behind the quote, but I will say that he was a sheriffs deputy.
Anyway, heres what he said:
Man, Im going to get my camcorder. Itd be like filming a horror movie in here.
See (or read) for yourself.
Making those round o calls this morning, the Whittier watch commander had this to say about whether anything was going on.
We have crime on the run. If you give us a day, crime will be completely eradicated in our area and you can take us off your phone list.
My response:
Is your refrigerator running too?
It should come as little surprise that folks in Altadena dont think a group home for sex offenders makes their neighborhood of $500,000 homes desirable.
Who would?
Just look at the cast of characters living in the halfway house in the 4400 block of Risinghill:
[BULLET]Ernesto Corona Ayala, 51, convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.
[BULLET]Gerald Christoph Baca, 56, also convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.
[BULLET]Ernest Brian Bradley, 37, convicted of lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14 and convicted of using force.
[BULLET]John Fitzgerald Carter, 43, convicted of forcible rape.
[BULLET]Cedric Parker, 47, convicted of forcible rape and sexual battery.
[BULLET]Anthony Raymond Rayas, 44, convicted of sodomy and lewd and lascivious acts with a child under the age of 14.
As many as 150 people who dont want this group of unsavory criminals in their neighborhood demanded the removal of the halfway home from their quiet neighborhood Tuesday night.
Please dont underestimate us, Latrell Cottele-Moore, a longtime Meadows resident told the crowd. We will do whatever is necessary to get them out.
Their pleas received little more than lip service.
A spokesman for state Sen. Jack Scott, D-Pasadena, essentially told the residents there were no easy solutions to the problem.
According to reporter Elise Kleeman, New Beginnings Sober Living, which operates the home, told residents the matter is being looked into by the company.
Who knows what that means?
The Sheriffs Department assured everyone the offenders were all wearing GPS-equipped anklet bracelets.
Translated, that means detectives will know where an offender has been after a crime has been committed.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise that the bureaucracies and corporations promoting halfway homes for sex offenders can offer little in the way of solutions for a residential neighborhood in an unincorporated portion of Los Angeles County.
What might be surprising though is that clusters of sex offenders are everywhere in the San Gabriel Valley.
Using a simple search of the states Megans Law Web site, I found groups of these men living together in Azusa, Bassett, Pasadena, Montebello and El Monte. They are everywhere even Beverly Hills.
In some cases, they are close to schools and churches. In others they live in residential neighborhoods. Plenty live in trailer parks and motels along Garvey Avenue, and Colorado and Whittier boulevards.
Last August, when the state budget crisis was in full swing, there was a possibility that California would stop paying rent for these guys. Then, instead of being housed and sort of monitored, a lot of sex offenders would have been homeless.
Something in our government is broken. You dont have to look any further than Risinghill Road in Altadena or the Megans Law Web site to see it.
CORRECTED: 11:42 A.M. 2/28/07
Man found shot on the freeway. We’re still trying to sort this one out. It happened early a.m. on the 210 in Azusa. We really know nothing right now. Sometimes these turn out to be attempted suicides, sometimes they turn out to be incidents of road rage. Other times they are targeted attacks. We’ll find out which one this is….check back
These are the guys who are living in a group home in Altadena. All are charged with sex offenses and all are being monitored electronically. This information comes from the California state Megan’s Law web-site
Here they are:
Ernesto Corona Ayala, 51
Lewd or lacivious acts with a child under 14
Gerald Christoph Baca, 56
Lewd or lacivious acts with a child under 14
Ernest Brian Bradley
288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS
288(b)(1) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS W/FORCE
John Fitzgerald Carter
261(a)(2) RAPE BY FORCE/FEAR/ETC
Cedric Parker
261(a)(2) RAPE BY FORCE/FEAR/ETC
f243.4 SEXUAL BATTERY
Anthony Rayas Raymond
286(c)(2) SODOMY WITH FORCE, VIOLENCE, ETC.
288(a) LEWD OR LASCIVIOUS ACTS WITH CHILD UNDER 14 YEARS
Somehow sheriff’s deputies were able to determine that a man who said he was shot in Duarte was actually shot in Altadena.
Last night we reported another Duarte shooting. The victim had taken himself to an area hospital and we were going to fill in the gaps.
TUrns out it didn’t happen in Duarte at all or Arcadia or Monrovia. The shooting took place several miles away in Altadena.
Injured was a Latino man. Sheriff’s detectives said the shooting was gang related.