Supervisors Adopt Ordianance to Protect Children on Halloween

October 5, 2010

The Board of Supervisors today approved an urgency ordinance that requires sex offenders – who have committed sexual crimes against children - in unincorporated Tulare County to follow strict guidelines on Halloween.

The guidelines include: leave all exterior residential, decorative, and ornamental lighting off during the evening hours from 5 p.m. to midnight; no posting Halloween decorations on his/her residence; and no answering doors to children who are trick-or-treating.

Chairman of the Board of Supervisors Steve Worthley asked the Board to pass the urgency ordinance as a tool to protect children and empower the residents of unincorporated communities.

“The real purpose of the statute is prevention and it gives parents a tool to avoid a potentially dangerous situation” Chairman Worthley said. “This is a role of government, acting in a preventative measure, to try to protect our children.”

Chairman Worthley said the ordinance primarily will benefit all of rural Tulare County and especially larger unincorporated communities such as Earlimart and Cutler-Orosi.

According to the Office of the Attorney General, there are approximately 750 registered sex offenders in Tulare County.

The Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 in favor of the ordinance. District Two Supervisor Pete Vander Poel cast the no vote.

Under the vote, the Board of Supervisors also directed staff to determine if other provisions should be added to the ordinance code regarding residency requirements for registered sex offenders, and to return with proposed amendments if appropriate.