Governator Passes Prop 83 Type Law

The Governator signed a bill yesterday that apparently contains many of the provisions of Prop 83- the upcoming ballot intiative that supposedly strengthens law against sex offenders. I can't help but think that much of the reason for this is just election year pandering. Then again, maybe it's just insurance in case Prop 83 fails at the ballot box?

Luckily this law doesn't have at least one bad element of Prop 83: The increase of the distance that sex offenders must live from schools from 1000 to 2000'. Similar laws elsewhere have ended up shifting the bulk of sex offenders to rural areas where schools aren't so close together.

Hopefully, the passage of this law might result in Prop 83 failing. Problem is most people probably won't be aware of this new law and it's human nature to want to join the lynch mob when you have an unpopular target. Prop 83 will likely pass anyway.

At least a couple newspaper editorial boards have come out in opposition to Prop 83. This editorial from Sacramento Bee was the last one I noticed. I haven't seen any papers come out in support. I wonder if the Eureka Reporter or Times- Standard might be the first?