Hopefully not to my neighborhood. Alamitos Beach residents feel the same way.

Took a trip to Illinois to visit the in-laws recently. My father-in-law, noodling around on his computer, decided that it would be interesting to see how many residents of his upscale retirement community were on the Megan’s Law watch list. A map of the area popped up, scattered with a few red dots. Then he said, “Rach, what’s your zip code?” Red everywhere: it looked as if a bomb had gone off in my neighborhood.

Perhaps those in the vicinity of the 1100 block of E. 1st St. should be happy to have their parolees collected in one place. Or not. Last year a 12-unit apartment complex on that block got a new owner and the building was subsequently designated a halfway house for recently paroled sex offenders. Within the past few months anywhere from 12 to 15 parolees have moved in (the exact number is the subject of some debate, and the number deemed a high risk for recidivism is also unclear).

People are angry. They’ve found a sympathetic ear (or ears) in KFI 640’s “John and Ken,” a pair of DJs who’ve taken this up as a cause, going so far as to organize a rally of sorts and broadcast a show outside the building. And they’ve out-funnied us: their website sports the banner “The Shady Bunch” (complete with creepy mug shots in a tic-tac-toe grid) and refers to the complex as a “sex offender clown building.”

At the risk of being inflammatory, I’ll give a partial criminal count tally of the complex’s residents: rape by force–4 counts; lewd acts with a child under 14–7 counts; kidnapping, oral copulation either by force or with someone under the age of 14, and sodomy either by force or with a person under 14–1 count each. All within 500 feet of two day care centers, numerous families, and a short walk from Franklin Middle School.

Alamitos Beach residents gave the City Council an earful at Tuesday night’s meeting. They complained that neighborhood crime–from mail theft to assault (that would be one beating, one sexual assault)–has increased since the halfway house was established. They pointed out that parking in the neighborhood is impossible, and that residents frequently face a six-block walk to and from their cars at night. Most of the vitriol was reserved for building owner Mile Milivojevic (who was not present): “[Owners] suck the blood out of the community and take the money back to Orange County or wherever they live,” said one speaker. Suja Lowenthal–councilmember for the neighborhood–acknowledged that housing sex offenders was something of a “cottage industry” (apparently it pays to own a halfway house).

There were plenty of voices urging caution–”they have rights, too” was a frequent (only occasionally grudging) refrain. One rather imposing African-American man tried to provide some perspective: “When I walk around Bixby Park, people are afraid of me.” (He also happens to be my favorite host at Bake ‘n Broil. He’s delightful. But he does look like a linebacker.)

As expected, Lowenthal’s extensive response was thoughtful, balanced, and reassuring: when she was done I felt the warm, happy buzz that lingers for about 20 minutes after a Barack Obama speech. She then presented an ordinance that would amplify some of the restrictions imposed by Megan’s Law: sex offenders would not be able to live within 2,000 feet of licensed day care centers (Megan’s law only regulates residence near schools), and limits would be imposed on the number of sex offenders permitted to live in a multi-family residence. The City Council was unanimous in approving the proposal.   The process of hammering out an ordinance that is both acceptable to the residents and in accordance with the law will be interesting….

Tags: alamitos beach, city council, Long Beach, megan's law, Rachel Powers, sex offenders, suja lowenthal