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ORDINANCE NO. NS-2712 AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA ADDING ARTICLE XII SECTIONS 10-700 THROUGH 10-703 TO CHAPTER 10 OF THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL CODE TO REGULATE PROXIMITY OF REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS TO CHILDREN'S FACILITIES THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS: Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines and declares as follows: A. The City Council of Santa Ana (the "City Council") places a high priority on maintaining public safety. B. Registered sex offenders pose a clear threat to children residing in or visiting the City. C. The United States Supreme Court in New York v. Ferber (1982) 458 U.S. 747, found that there is a compelling governmental interest in safeguarding the physical and psychological well-being of children. D. The City of Santa Ana has a variety of parks, some large and some small, some in neighborhoods and some not, some developed and some undeveloped that are frequented by children. Within the parks are numerous traditional playground areas, softball fields, youth soccer, swimming pools, and a zoo. The City's park system also hosts a range of activities, including birthday parties and family reunions. E. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, in 1994, the median age of the victims of imprisoned sexual assaulters was less than 13 years old. Of released sex offenders who allegedly committed another sex crime, 40% perpetrated the new offense within a year or less from their prison discharge. F. The City of Santa Ana currently houses approximately 385 registered sex offenders and over two-thirds of those registrants have victimized persons under the age of 18 years of age. G. The City Council desires to impose safety precautions in furtherance of the compelling goal of protecting our children from sexual assault or other harm by sex offenders. 11 A-6