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FRIDAY,JULY17, 2020 /// Now including Coastline Pilot and Huntington Beach Independent/// dailypilot.com Child sex predator’s release raises questions O.C. officials ask how a man confined in a mental hospital for talking about raping and murdering children shed the offender registration requirement. BY HILLARY DAVIS Despite an unrelated sex crime conviction well before being con- fined for more than 20 years in a state mental hospital for his chilling words about raping and murdering children, Cary Jay Smith rejoined society Tuesday without having to Don Leach | Staff Photographer register as a sex offender — and offi- cials are tight-lipped as to why this AGROUP of high school-aged kids walk near Heisler Park on Thursday. The mask situation during the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted local schools. registration requirement was dropped. “That is beyond outrageous,” said Orange County Supervisors Chair Push for no masks at O.C. schools Michelle Steel, who diverted from a standing news conference Thursday about the coronavirus to criticize tied to pro-charter school group Smith’s release and its apparent terms. Upping a call she made this week with Orange County District Atty. BY SARA CARDINE Aset of guidelines adopted by the county Board of Education has Todd Spitzer to put Smith back on the sex offender registry, Steel said Aset of controversial guidelines recom- links to an anti-unionorganization opening acampus in August. Smith needs to be reinstitutional- mending county public school students re- ized, and the state should evaluate turn to campuses without basic coronavirus choice. The resultant white paper was drafted by the procedures that allowed him to precautions has ties to an anti-union, pro- The pair assembled a panel of physicians, Will Swaim, former founding editor of the leave lockup. charter school group that is looking to open policy experts and a retired school superin- OC Weekly and president of the California “That someone this dangerous anew Orange County campus in August. tendent in a June 24 community forum on Policy Center, a conservative think tank that would be released into our neigh- Members of the county’s Board of Educa- school reopening with the intention of pro- frequently criticizes the power of employee borhoods with little to no explana- tion on Monday voted 4-1 to approve guide- ducing a document following the discussion unions and advocates for school choice. tion and not be required to register lines allowing for the reopening of schools that would guide the board’s decision mak- Swaim also moderated the June 24 forum. as a sex offender is both dangerous without masks, social distancing or reduced ing. The former journalist confessed his lack and nonsensical,” she said. class sizes as children, it claimed, “play a Orange County Health Care Agency Direc- of health and medical expertise Wednesday, What little is publicly known very minor role in COVID-19.” tor Dr. Clayton Chau and 3rd District Super- saying he leaned on his reporting back- about Smith’s release and regis- The advisory document — which contra- visor Don Wagner also participated in the ground and network of contacts, along with tration status is through the letter dicts recommendations made by the Cen- forum, which lasted 3½ hours and drew notes taken at the forum, while compiling Steel and Spitzer wrote this week to ters for Disease Control and Prevention, the more than 1,000 community members in the draft. Williams, who also co-hosts the Gov. Gavin Newsom expressing California Department of Education and the person and online. “Radio Free California” podcast for the con- their alarm. Orange County Department of Education — “We just reached out to different people servative outlet National Review, later read Their account says the California was commissioned by executive committee we knew, we put together this forum and we and annotated the document. Department of State Hospitals “is members Board President Ken Williams and invited the public,” Barke said. “The plan “Mari asked me first to moderate a con- Vice President Mari Barke, two vocal propo- was that a paper would come out of that fo- See Release, page A2 nents of public charter schools and school rum.” See Charter, page A5 H.B. council to eye temporary homeless shelter ALSO FROM BY MATT SZABO 17631 Cameron Lane, approving able housing project on the prop- items. THE DAILY PILOT: the use of $3.16 million for the erty. Residents can also call in at The Huntington Beach City transaction. An adjacent property “At the staff level and at the (669) 900-6833 to listen to the Council will consider during its at 17642 Beach Blvd. was also au- council level, I know there’s a lot meeting and comment during meeting Monday night con- thorized for purchase. of support to try to get something designated periods. The webinar structing a temporary emergency Later, in April, council mem- moving to be able to better ad- ID is 999 4025 9527. Once enter- homeless shelter. bers unanimously approved an dress the homeless situation,” ing the meeting, the caller will be The agenda item, proposed by Emergency Facility Use Agree- Chi said. “It’s definitely an issue put in a holding queue to speak Councilman Erik Peterson, would ment with Orange County to es- that needs attention. We’re aware in order. allow for a 40-plus bed tempo- tablish an emergency shelter at and cognizant of it, and we’re try- The council chambers will also rary shelter in the city’s Public the Cameron Lane site for home- ing to find the best way to move be open for public comment, but less residents who are not co- Works yard, located on Gothard forward as quickly as we can.” social-distancing measures will Street. The proposal is made pur- ronavirus-positive and do not Monday’s meeting begins at be in place and, after making suant to the powers of the city to show symptoms. Allen J. Schaben |Los Angeles Times 6p.m. and can be watched on their comments, participants will address a health and safety crisis, The Cameron Lane site is still as well as pursuant to the city’s in escrow, Chi said, though con- channel HBTV-3 or online at be asked to leave the chambers. ORANGE COAST COLLEGE emergency declaration. struction of the shelter will likely huntingtonbeach.legistar.com. The city will provide an area for NAMES NATE JOHNSON HEAD Should the item pass, Hunting- begin in the next couple of Residents are encouraged to viewing the council meeting on BASEBALL COACH PAGE A5 ton Beach City Manager Oliver weeks, and it should be up and send comments on agenda items television to a limited number of Chi would be directed to bring running by late October or early to supplementalcomm@surfcity- participants. LAGUNA BEACH TO RAISE back a proposal in two weeks for November. He said the site would hb.org. Time for remarks is limited to SEWER RATES PAGE A2 the shelter. be used as a temporary shelter All communications received three minutes. In February, the council voted for the next three to five years, by 2 p.m. Monday will be distrib- AROUND TOWN: VIRTUAL O.C. unanimously to give city staff the while the city pursues the longer- uted to the council prior to con- [email protected] FAIR OPENS FRIDAY green light to buy a property at term development of an afford- sideration of agenda-related Twitter: @mjszabo PAGE A2 A retired teacher leads the masked resistance in Newport Beach BY STEVE LOPEZ Jumping into the fray is nothing venge. Lorenz fires off scalding new for Lorenz. I met the former emails to public officials, and she Lynn Lorenz, a retired teacher French and history teacher sev- is a prolific writer of letters to the who lives on a bluff above the eral years ago when she was one editor. Newport Beach harbor, emerged of the activists campaigning “As I look around our city and from her home last week wearing against a proposal to turn the see the lack of social distancing amask. open spaces of Newport Banning and lack of serious concern for Nobody turned and stared, as if Ranch into a massive devel- the coronavirus, I have become she were wearing a lampshade opment. very fearful for our future,” said a over her head. But Lorenz defi- She was drawn into the co- Lorenz letter to the Newport nitely stood out. On the first 15 ronavirus culture wars from the Beach Independent. minutes of her daily stroll, we saw beginning, fearing that residents When the Orange County pub- more than a dozen people, and would pay with their lives for a re- lic health director resigned after nobody was wearing a face cov- fusal to heed the warnings from county supervisors rejected her ering. experts about masking and dis- call for people to wear masks in Not walkers, not runners, not tancing. public, Lorenz went to her key- dog owners, not a woman headed Lorenz told me that recently, in board and blasted the supervi- to the park with three kids. the post office near her house, sors. Lorenz said she’s gotten dirty she confronted two women for ig- “I am outraged,” she said in a looks from people for being noring signs directing customers letter published by Stu News masked. As if she’s the one who’s a to mask up. Newport, adding that she was bad neighbor. “They kind of looked at me, taking her business from Ralphs “They’re thinking either that stared at me, and I got out of in Newport Beach to the Ralphs Steve Lopez | Los Angeles Times I’m a liberal, or that in Newport there real fast,” Lorenz said.

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