La Puente wants to crack down on sex offenders
Here's a few graphs of a story I wrote to run in Tuesday's paper about La Puente wanting to tighten rules on where sex offenders can live:
The City Council will vote tonight on whether to approve regulations further limiting where sex crime convicts can live.
Among the proposed regulations are prohibiting more than one registered sex offender from living in a multi-family dwelling or a hotel, and expanding state laws that already prohibit sex offenders from living within 2,000 feet of schools and parks.
There are currently 136 sex offenders registered in La Puente, according to state records.
"I think it's time we put this on the books," Councilwoman Nadia Mendoza said, "to let people know that this is something we're going to be watching out for, for the safety of our children and for any victims and for any families that will be moving in."
In 2006, California voters passed Proposition 83, more commonly known as Jessica's Law, which requires sex offenders to register their addresses with law enforcement and bans them from living within 2,000 feet of schools and parks.
In La Puente, if approved, in addition to parks and schools this ordinance would also make it illegal for sex offenders to live within 2,000 feet of open space, trails and child care centers.
There's been a lot of debate on whether Jessica's Law - and these tougher city ordinances - essentially restrict sex offendres from living anywhere once they finishing serving time. What do you think? Are these ordinances too restrictive or just right?
The Star News ran this a couple of months ago, http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/ci_12172432. Arcadia passed a similar ordinance last month. The new ordinance does not impact registrants convicted prior to November 7, 2006. Some confusion comes into play when readers believe that these restrictions are retroactive.
Good! I was already to go in and make a public comment about the lack of police presence in La Puente. There have been numerous murders in the last few months. I am glad the council is ready to stop pretending that La Puente is a great place for family and community.
La Puente is a run-down city that our leaders forgot about. We got sued under title IX. We have development projects stalled. We had a community center closed for several years.
WAKE UP RESIDENTS OF LA PUENTE. OUR LEADERS ARE NOT THAT GOOD TO THE RESIDENTS!!
As a former Mayor and Councilman, I must say that the City Council is doing the right thing. There is too much negativity in politics right now. Let's all hover above it people. We are moving forward as a city.
Wow! Ed Chavez calling for civility in politics? That's like Dick Cheney calling for the humane treatment of prisoners.
Maybe he has softened his tone because his horse did not come in for the Congressional race, and now he is looking for friends wherever he can find them.
Mr. Chavez, I heard your a swinger and you tend to have your state paid for car stolen by hookers. Remember back in the Assembly when that happened?
Your right LP Resident! Our leaders in La Puente were idiots! I'm glad this council has the rational way of thinking for our city to vote for this! To reply to your murder comment, murders and crime is up EVERYWHERE in LA. So I would not blame the city for that, but the economy which was created by our elected leaders over the last 12 years!
I want to start a residents group for the citizens of La Puente. Does anyone have ideas for a meeting place? I think we should meet weekly and keep a presence at all the council and commission meetings.
The city leaders think we are all asleep and don't care that our city is run down, dirty, and rampant with crime.
I will work on getting a website and e-mail set-up!
Shut up Ed. You did nothing for the city and now you brag that you were a former Mayor and Councilman. You just sat there with that stupid look on your face not to mention that stupid mustache. Then you have your wife continue where you left off JackAss!
Rumor has it that one of the Chavez' is running for a seat again. With that corrupt Lugan in trouble again and Lola losing her mind, no wonder those vultures are waiting in the weeds to pick them off. Enough with them two. What the city needs is new blood to run for office, that way they can get rid of those incompetent directors who are running the city to the ground with their lack of vision. It is no wonder the city looks like crap.