Supervisors Tone Down Residential Picketing Rules

Riverside County supervisors voted to alter a measure that prohibited protesting from within 30 feet of a residential property on Tuesday.

Under the new rules, those picketing a residential property can come within three feet of the property line.

The board voted 4-0 for the proposed changes. Supervisor John Tavaglione stepped away from the dais and missed the vote.

Supervisor Jeff Stone, who first proposed the measure, said the change is a “worthwhile compromise” that will allow residents to protest the homes of registered sex offenders.

Supervisors first approved the ordinance in March 2009 following a request from Golden Era Productions, which is owned by the Church of Scientology. Small groups of protesters regularly target the Gilman Hot Springs campus.

Several residents spoke out against the church at the board meeting and urged supervisors to repeal the ordinance in its entirety.