The agony continues at tonight’s meeting of the Twentynine Palms City Council when officials again consider the issue of residential restrictions on registered sex offenders. The city has been slapped with a lawsuit for remaining out of compliance with a State Supreme Court decision ruling the current residential restrictions unconstitutional. What must be done seems straight forward enough, except when complying with the court means antagonizing an angry public. Reporter Mike Lipsitz has the rest of the story…
Following a 5 p.m. study session on Project Phoenix, the Twentynine Palms City Council will convene the regular 6:30 meeting at City Hall. Two public hearings will follow tonight’s dispensing of routine matters on the consent agenda. The first concerns expedited permitting of electric vehicle charging stations as mandated by the state. The second public hearing follows the council’s failure to repeal the municipal code ruled unconstitutional for its restrictions on where registered sex offenders may reside. Since the last meeting when the subject was tabled, a Sacramento attorney has made good on her threat to sue if the city failed to align itself with the court ruling. Considering the court ruling, impending lawsuit and subsequent recommendation for repeal by staff and city attorneys, there appears no other option for the council; tonight’s public hearing will apparently accomplish nothing except to turn up the heat on officials already squirming uncomfortably.
EASING SEX OFFENDER RESTRICTIONS ON TWENTYNINE PALMS CITY COUNCIL AGENDA TONIGHT
