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TLJ 5/29/12 <br />ORDINANCE NO. NS -XXX <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE <br />CITY OF SANTA ANA AMENDING CHAPTER 10, <br />ARTICLE XII OF THE SANTA ANA MUNICIPAL <br />CODE PERTAINING TO PROXIMITY OF <br />REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS TO CHILDREN'S <br />FACILITIES <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, <br />determines and declares as follows: <br />A. On May 15, 2006, the City Council of the City of Santa Ana (the <br />"City Council ") adopted Ordinance No. NS -2712, adding Article XII, <br />sections 10 -700 to 10 -703 to the Santa Ana Municipal Code, <br />thereby regulating the proximity of registered sex offenders to <br />children's facilities. <br />B. The City Council continues to place a high priority on maintaining <br />public safety and finds that registered sex offenders pose a clear <br />threat to children residing in or visiting the City. <br />C. Article XI, Section 7 of the California Constitution authorizes the <br />City to enact and enforce ordinances that regulate conditions that <br />may be public nuisances or health hazards, or that promote social, <br />economic or aesthetic considerations. <br />D. Sex offenders have high recidivism rates that exceed those <br />exhibited by other convicted criminals. The City Council must <br />therefore take all necessary action to protect children and potential <br />victims from these dangerous predators. <br />E. The City Council is concerned about the high rate of recidivism <br />among sex offenders and their dangerousness as a class. The City <br />Council takes legislative notice of the November 2003 report issued <br />by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics <br />entitled, "Recidivism of Sex Offenders Released from Prison in <br />1994." A fifteen (15) state study of prisoners released in 1994 <br />showed that when compared to non -sex offenders released from <br />state prison, released sex offenders were four times more likely to <br />Ordinance No. NS -XXX <br />Page 1 of 9 <br />11 A -1 <br />