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<br />ORDINANCE NO. NS-2712 <br /> <br />AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY <br />OF SANTA ANA ADDING ARTICLE XII SECTIONS 10-700 <br />THROUGH 10-703 TO CHAPTER 10 OF THE SANTA ANA <br />MUNICIPAL CODE TO REGULATE PROXIMITY OF <br />REGISTERED SEX OFFENDERS TO CHILDREN'S <br />FACILITIES <br /> <br />THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA ANA DOES ORDAIN AS <br />FOLLOWS: <br /> <br />Section 1. The City Council of the City of Santa Ana hereby finds, determines <br />and declares as follows: <br /> <br />A. The City Council of Santa Ana (the "City Council") places a high priority on <br />maintaining public safety. <br /> <br />B. Registered sex offenders pose a clear threat to children residing in or <br />visiting the City. <br /> <br />C. The United States Supreme Court in New York v. Ferber (1982) 458 U.S. <br />747, found that there is a compelling governmental interest in safeguarding the physical <br />and psychological well-being of children. <br /> <br />D. The City of Santa Ana has a variety of parks, some large and some small, <br />some in neighborhoods and some not, some developed and some undeveloped that are <br />frequented by children. Within the parks are numerous traditional playground areas, <br />softball fields, youth soccer, swimming pools, and a zoo. The City's park system also <br />hosts a range of activities, including birthday parties and family reunions. <br /> <br />E. According to a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, in 1994, the <br />median age of the victims of imprisoned sexual assaulters was less than 13 years old. <br />Of released sex offenders who allegedly committed another sex crime, 40% perpetrated <br />the new offense within a year or less from their prison discharge. <br /> <br />F. The City of Santa Ana currently houses approximately 385 registered sex <br />offenders and over two-thirds of those registrants have victimized persons under the <br />age of 18 years of age. <br /> <br />G. The City Council desires to impose safety precautions in furtherance of <br />the compelling goal of protecting our children from sexual assault or other harm by sex <br />offenders. <br /> <br />H. The City Council desires to add local restrictions in areas where state law <br />regulating sex offenders is silent by prohibiting sex offenders from loitering in areas that <br />are primarily designed for use by, or are primarily used by, children. <br /> <br />Ordinance No. NS-2712 <br />Page 1 of 5 <br />