SANTA CRUZ >> The committee tasked with safely placing “sexually violent predator” Michael Cheek into the community will open its doors to the public on Wednesday.

Until given a court order last week, the housing committee, overseen by the California Department of State Hospitals, had frozen its meetings related to Cheek. During a hearing before Santa Cruz County Superior Court Judge Syda Cogliati on July 10, committee members said they had been grappling with concerns that such committees — often addressing confidential client information — were required to hold meetings open to the public.

Cheek, 71, was convicted of separate rapes more than 30 years ago and has since served his prison sentence and subsequent treatment. Due to the violent nature of his offenses, he was assigned the state designation of a so-called sexually violent predator. Through State Hospitals’ recommendation and Cogliati’s ruling, Cheek was cleared for conditional release, meaning he is no longer considered to be a danger to the health and safety of others. According to state law, it is considered “not likely” that such individuals “will engage in sexually violent criminal behavior due to the person’s diagnosed mental disorder under supervision and treatment in the community.”

State Hospitals, working with Liberty Healthcare Corp., is required to convene a committee of county partners to consult in the process of locating and securing housing where Cheek can be conditionally released. Liberty is tasked with the ongoing oversight of released sexually violent predators.

Next week’s meeting’s sole purpose will be to consult on Cheek’s conditional release placement within the county, according to a notice posted to State Hospitals’ website. Even were a new housing site identified at the meeting, the Department of State Hospitals would be required to give public notice at least 30 days prior to a court hearing to consider fitness and potentially approve of the chosen site.

Thus far, the committee has considered placement in housing in various locations primarily across Northern California, meeting community resistance at each turn. The group’s focus has been narrowed to Santa Cruz County more recently.

Despite the fact that Cheek has no specific ties, familial or otherwise, to Santa Cruz, his court hearings continue to take place in the city where he was convicted of the first of two rapes. Cheek kidnapped a 21-year-old Los Gatos woman from Seabright State Beach before assaulting her in 1980.

Cheek’s case is scheduled to return to court before Cogliati on Aug. 8. Beforehand, the housing committee will meet locally at 1:30 p.m., July 26 in the Santa Cruz County Governmental Center’s Redwoods Conference Room, 701 Ocean St., 5th Floor. Santa Cruz. State officials also will join the meeting remotely from the State of California Allenby Building 1215 O St., First Floor, Room 110A/110B, Sacramento.

The meeting’s agenda calls for the committee to conduct a roll call before retiring to a closed session until 3 p.m. At that time, the committee will return for public comment, at twto minutes per speaker. The agenda sets a time of 4:20 p.m. for a discussion of “next steps” and 4:30 p.m. for adjournment.