The Yucca Valley Town Council voted in closed session Tuesday night to settle a case with a convicted child molester in exchange for his dismissal of a lawsuit against the town. Frank Lindsay, 62, of San Luis Obispo, has sued at least 19 municipalities in California, ranging from Stockton to National City, and warned dozens more, that their sex offender ordinances were unconstitutional. In 2014, the 4th Appellate District Court ruled that cities cannot enact ordinances governing sex offenders that are more stringent than state laws. California’s Jessica’s Law prohibits sex offenders on parole from living within 2,000 feet of a school or park where children are present. In April, the Yucca Valley Town Council voted to repeal a part of its ordinance, amended in 2008, that prohibited sex offenders from coming within 300 feet of a school or park. The change does not affect areas where offenders can live in the town. In its closed session meeting Tuesday, the council voted 4-1, with Bob Leone dissenting, to pay Lindsay $2,000; in exchange, Lindsay will drop his lawsuit and promise not to sue the town again. Frank Lindsay was convicted in 1979 of lewd acts with a minor under age 14. The town says according to the Megan’s Law website, 77 registered sex offenders live in Yucca Valley.
