Dont Pass Daytime Curfew Law Speech San Ramon City Council Hello, my name is Tommy Sidebottom; I am 16 years

of age and a resident of Danville. I would like to speak to you regarding the new daytime curfew law that is on the table. I believe that this law should not be passed for three reasons. First, the new daytime curfew law is unnecessary. We already have current truancy laws which do punish those who leave school at inappropriate times. A habitual truant can already be fined up to 100$ and the parent can be fined up to 500$. Additionally, other actions that can be taken against truants include revocation of driving privileges, after-school programs and counseling, and up to 40 hours of community service. This is per the California Department of Education Code section on truancy. Specifically sections 48260 to 48263.5 and section 48293. These laws are in place throughout all of California to help ensure education. San Ramon itself does not need a new law; it can use the power already given to it by the State Department. If the current laws were enforced to the extent necessary then we wouldnt have an issue. Adding another law will not fix the problem of enforcement, but only make it more apparent. My second contention is that this new law is also in violation of the constitution. The Fourteenth Amendment states: No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of the citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, Liberty, or property, without due process of law; The concept of due process protects the individual against exploitation or legislation that creates an undue burden on individuals, or on an identifiable group or class of citizens. The Supreme Court recognizes the freedom of all people, including minors, to concern being in public places. They stated, while night walking, loafing, or strolling, not mentioned in the constitution or the Bill of Rights are historically part of the amenities of life as We have known them. The right to walk the streets, or

to meet publicly with ones friends for a noble purpose or no purpose at all, and to do so when ever one pleases is an integral component of life in a free and ordered society." (Papachristou v. City of Jacksonville). To stop or detain those who exercise the above right is in violation of the Supreme Court ruling. It disrupts a free and ordered society. My final point is that San Ramon has a very low truancy rate, only 4%. Well below the state average of 28.2% and even the county rate of 32%. Many of our truant students are habitual truants, not just one timers. The schools are aware of who is and isnt truant, they have the ability to contact and deal with these students. This brings us back to my first point: that we need to make better use of the laws already in place, not add more. For these three reasons I ask that you vote against this new daytime curfew law to help minors preserve their rights as US Citizens. Thank you.