A FULL HOUSE SEES TWENTYNINE PALMS COUNCIL POSTPONE SEX OFFENDER RESTRICTION VOTE

Lots of people showed up at last night’s Twentynine Palms City Council meeting for what promised to be a good show. They weren’t disappointed. Reporter David Haldane explains…
The Twentynine Palms City Council couldn’t stomach what it had to do. So, last night, instead of repealing local restrictions on where sex offenders can live, the Council deferred the matter until its next meeting when a public hearing will be held.
Councilman Dan Mintz summed it up best. “It’s very frustrating for us. It saddens me when I have to make decisions like this.”
The decision he’s contemplating may be forced by a Sacramento attorney’s recent letter promising to sue unless the city repeals its prohibition against sex offenders living within 2,000 feet of schools. The demand has teeth due to a California Supreme Court decision striking down a similar law.
Though several in the packed Council chambers objected, a sheriff’s spokesman assured them that state restrictions will still be enforced. In the end, the matter was postponed due to a glitch. But Councilman McArthur Wright expressed what seemed to be in everyone’s heart. “I’ve literally lost sleep on this.”