Residents there are protesting the ruling. They do not want Christopher Hubbart to live in their community when he is released from a mental hospital where he has been held for years. Hubbart, 62, was convicted of nearly 40 rapes in the late 1970s and early 1980s in Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.
Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Gilbert Brown ruled that Hubbart will reside on the 20300 block of East Avenue R in unincorporated Palmdale when he is released. This is a different house than the one that the same judge ruled Hubbart would live in last fall.
Because of the community outcry, the owner of the house Hubbart was going to rent last fall withdrew the house for consideration. Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey is against Friday's ruling.
"I will continue to oppose Hubbart's release. My top priority is to protect our community," she said in a statement. "If Hubbart is housed in Los Angeles County, my office will work with law enforcement to make sure that he is closely monitored at all times and that all terms and conditions of his release are strictly enforced."
The ruling now opens up a 45-day window for public comment. The judge scheduled a public hearing on the proposed housing location for May 21 in San Jose.
Hubbart was born in Pasadena and lived there until his family moved to Claremont, which is why he is being released in Los Angeles County. There is no date scheduled for Hubbart's release.
