Supervisors today made San Bernardino the first county to approve a measure furthering the provisions of Jessica’s Law (Prop. 83) by unanimously giving initial approval to a proposed ordinance by Supervisors Bill Postmus and Gary Ovitt to expand on sex-offender control protections in the statewide initiative.
The County’s ordinance, scheduled for final adoption on Election Day, November 7, would prohibit sex offenders from residing within 2,000 feet of a daycare center and within one-half mile of a school. It would also create 300-foot "Predator-Free Zones" around schools and parks in unincorporated areas.
In April, Postmus and Ovitt created a Child Safety Task Force to encourage municipalities and county departments to prepare to implement local-government provisions of Prop. 83. Postmus said the ordinance is a result of that effort. He added that it was drafted in a format to allow cities, where most citizens reside, to easily be able to provide their residents such increased protections. "I urge all cities to adopt similar ordinances," Postmus said.
Read the text of the ordinance here.