LAKESIDE, Calif. — Residents in a Lakeside neighborhood gathered Sunday to protest a home in their community that's housing sex offenders.
"It's totally unfair," said resident David Poe.
Neighbors held signs near the home on Sesi Lane. The home is registered as a treatment facility and is legally able to house up to six sex offenders at a time.
Five sex offenders currently live there. California Megan's Law website lists convictions ranging from indecent exposure, rape to sex offenses with a child under the age of 14.
"Three of the five are ranked to commit again. Two are above risk one is high risk. We're just letting the community know. If they can move them here then they can move them anywhere," Poe said.
A few dozen residents attended the protest.
"It's unfortunate and uncalled for," said resident Patrick McMillin.
McMillin has lived in the neighborhood for more than 40 years.
"I raised three kids in this neighborhood, six grandkids and two great grandchildren that play on these streets," he said.
Neighbors in the area said they were caught off guard when they had to find out on their own that the group of sex offenders lived there.
"Calculate the loss in value because of this, emotional is another thing and safety is another thing but the financial impact is huge," McMillan said.
Bill Wells, the Mayor of El Cajon, showed his support for the east county neighborhood.
"There's not much being done to make it equitable," Wells said. "I don't think you're seeing a lot of these sexual predators going to Solana beach or Encinitas or Rancho Bernardo. I think they're coming out here."
CBS 8 reached out to Senator Brian Jones's office. A spokesperson sent us the following statement:
“This Lakeside residence is a registered Residential Facility, meaning it’s a treatment facility and runs as a sex offender management program. These facilities are allowed to house up to 6 sex offenders. Aside from these facilities, sex offenders are only allowed to live together if they are legally related.
Governor Newsom’s CDCR poorly handled the placement of these sex offenders. They do not belong in a family-oriented community with kids. The community, including the HOA, should be more involved in this entire placement process. Senator Jones is exploring different avenues on how we can fix this issue and make government work for California residents. Whether it’s introducing new legislation, facilitating negotiations, and/or working in a bipartisan manner with the Governor, the Senator is committed to finding a solution.”
For now, residents say they'll continue demanding action
"We have to be loud, a unified group and be aggressive in making sure the public stays aware of this and our politicians," McMillan said.
CBS 8 first brought you this story last week when neighbors reached out to asking for help. We worked to figure out if the situation was legal and who was getting involved to stop it.
WATCH RELATED: Lakeside neighbors furious over home housing sex offenders (Sep. 2022).