Old Headlines (No Limit)
Residents up in Arms Over Group Home of Registered Sex Offenders
By By STEVEN CISCHKE, Staff Writer
Wednesday, February 27, 2008, 1:56 am

Angry Altadena residents sought answers from local officials at a public forum Tuesday after learning that a group home of registered sex offenders has opened in their neighborhood.

"Please do not underestimate us because we will do whatever is necessary to get them out," said a mother of five children to loud applause from the approximately 150 residents.

"Altadena is not your dumping ground," she continued. "The law may say it's okay, but we all know this is not right."

"Supervisor Antonovich is equally disgusted," said Sussy Nemer from Los Angeles County Michael Antonovich's office. "He feels very strongly that there should be more local control over these issues."

She said it was the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, not the county, that placed the men in the home located in the "Meadows," a secluded foothill community of about 250 homes in Altadena.

Julianne Hines, district director for Assemblymember Anthony Portantino, said she was told by the Department of Corrections that the residence was selected because, as far as the department knows, it is in compliance with state laws that determine where registered sex offenders can be placed.

The residence was advertised to the parole unit as a "New Beginnings" program that meets the requirements for a program that serves six or fewer people, she said. 

All six men in the home have GPS monitoring systems attached to them, she added.

She said she would look into whether the Angeles National Forest, which is adjacent to the neighborhood, qualifies as a park under state rules regulating how close the home can be to a park. 

Ernestine Moore, district director for State Sen. Jack Scott said the house does not need to be licensed because it houses six or fewer people. She said she will arrange for someone from the parole office to meet with the community.

"I know why they're here -- because they're hard to place," said Jean Anderson, who said she's lived in the Meadows for over thirty years and is retired from the Department of Corrections.

"And there's a part of me that says they get a crack at rehabilitation," she added. "However, I know what goes on at group homes. The supervision is not where you think it is. The treatment is not where you think it is."

"We need to stand firm and get these people out of our community," she said.