Cypress Passes Softer Juvenile Curfew Law

The City Council late Monday gave preliminary approval to a controversial ordinance that would impose a daytime curfew on some school-age youths.

The measure, passed on a 3-2 vote, is a watered-down version of a proposal made earlier this year by county police officials, school superintendents and prosecutors.

It would target youngsters between 6 and 18 caught skipping class without a valid excuse more than three times in a school year.

The measure would impose fines of no more than $25 for each violation and would not levy additional penalties on parents.

Councilwoman Cecilia L. Age spoke in favor of the ordinance, calling it “practical and logical.”

But Councilman Tom Carroll argued against it, presenting local truancy statistics that he said show that the problem is “almost nonexistent in Cypress.”

He called the ordinance “un-American, unconstitutional, unnecessary, unwanted, unenforceable and unwise.”

Several Orange County cities have rejected daytime curfews, citing similar concerns. But officials in La Habra, Buena Park and Seal Beach have approved them, saying that they will reduce crime and cut down on truancy.

La Habra has already begun enforcement, and the other two cities have set dates to do so.

Compared to the ordinance being debated in Cypress, those cities’ laws are much more stringent, allowing police officers to give citations to youths 6 to 18 years old who are in any public place during school hours without a “lawful excuse.”

Valid reasons are family emergencies, medical appointments or other excused absences from class.

Fines for violators range from $100 for a first offense to $250 for a third instance. Parents also may be cited and fined.

Opponents argue that the measure violates civil liberties of children and their parents, duplicates existing truancy laws and could cause youngsters to fear police.

Villa Park Mayor Joseph S. Barsa has denounced the daytime curfew, calling it “Hitlerism at its worst.”

La Habra High School students last month complained that their city’s ordinance was unfairly penalizing innocent students.

La Habra City Council members said that, even though they voted for the measure, they soon will review results and decide whether to keep it or repeal it.