An advocacy group is suing Fresno County over the passage of an ordinance restricting how many registered sex offenders can live at a single location.

The Alliance for Constitutional Sex Offense Laws, Inc. filed the lawsuit Jan. 26 in Fresno County Superior Court, claiming the ordinance adopted Jan. 6 by the Board of Supervisors is “in plain violation of the California Constitution and the jurisdictional limits on local government.”

“This county ordinance is preempted by state law. And it’s very clear that if there’s a state law regarding a certain topic, then local governments cannot, in fact, pass a different kind of law,” said Janice Bellucci, the attorney for the plaintiffs and executive director of ACSOL.

The group’s mission, the lawsuit says, “is to protect the Constitution by restoring the civil rights of more than 100,000 registrants.”

The ordinance goes into effect Thursday.

Bredefeld: Ordinance Legally Defensible

Supported by Supervisor Garry Bredefeld, the ordinance created an enforcement mechanism to limit what it says is already state law — that a single-family home with a registered sex offender can have a maximum of six beds, whether all are used by registrants or not. There are exemptions for living with relatives.

Violations could lead to a misdemeanor, with fines ranging from $10,000 for a first offense to $50,000 for a third offense.

Bredefeld and Supervisor Brian Pacheco carried the ordinance after hearing complaints from neighbors, particularly those living near a residential facility in the Old Fig Garden neighborhood.

The ordinance only applies to unincorporated areas of Fresno County, and not within city limits like Fresno and Clovis.

As of Tuesday, five offenders registered on the Megan’s Law website lived in one home in the area in question, and another lived in an adjacent home. Both homes are run by Centers for Living.

“The County has not been served and we have not had the opportunity to review the suit, but we are absolutely confident the ordinance is legally defensible and constitutional. This is a board that will protect its citizens and do everything appropriate and legal to ensure the safety and security of our residents,” Bredefeld said.

Lawsuit: Will Force Registrants to Go Homeless

The lawsuit calls the penalties “draconian and designed to force transitional living homes to either abandon their provision of housing and other services to registrants (which would leave many homeless) or go bankrupt, face criminal prosecution, and jail.”

The ACSOL lawsuit includes three unnamed plaintiffs who would become homeless under the ordinance.

“People who are required to register are human beings who need a place to live. They need shelter. And the fact is, most people do not want to live near a sex offender, but that’s because they do not understand the truth,” Bellucci said.

Bellucci said re-offense rates are “extremely low.”

“People really don’t have anything to worry about,” Bellucci said.

Plaintiffs Won’t Seek an Injunction: Attorney

Bredefeld, in public statements leading up to the passage of the ordinance, disagreed with the ability to rehabilitate sex offenders.

“They ought to be on an island somewhere. Or, frankly, they belong in jail and shouldn’t be released — and certainly shouldn’t be released into neighborhoods with families,” Bredefeld said at a Dec. 8, 2025, news conference introducing the ordinance.

Bellucci called Bredefeld — a retired psychologist — “uneducated.”

“It’s unfortunate that he’s spreading misinformation to the public,” Bellucci said.

Fresno County Sheriff John Zanoni is also listed as a defendant.

The first hearing is set for a case management conference before Judge Maria G. Diaz on July 1. Bellucci said she will not seek an injunction before the hearing.