Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva and the Association of California Cities â Orange County (ACC-OC) will be hosting a community conversation on ACCOC sponsored legislation Assembly Bill 572. The hearing will review the bill, the issues around sober living facilities and homes, the effects on patients and the community.
Participants include Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, City of Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley, Sober Living Facility Stakeholders, and Opening Remarks by Assemblymember Matt Harper.
November 6th | 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Grand Hall at the Costa Mesa Senior Center
695 W. 19th Street, Costa Mesa
AB 572 would have created a voluntary pilot program for cities in Orange County to fund and house a DHCS Compliance Analyst within their city. It would be an added resource for cities, helping them to enforce state and local regulations, and provide patients with better care and higher rehabilitation outcomes.
I will continue to fight for more DHCS oversite in my district and I look forward to working with the County and all stakeholders as this bill moves forward.
BACKGROUND
Sober living homes and facilities are meant to provide a sober and safe environment for those recovering from Alcohol or Other Drug (AOD) dependency in residential settings. However, there are very few regulatory mechanisms available for cities to ensure that the homes within their jurisdictions are functioning properly. This has spurred a proliferation of non-compliant sober living residences with challenges ranging from public safety issues, unregulated patient care, and in some cases, facility misconduct.
The DHCS is the only entity that has the authority to enforce sober living facility regulations, and inspect non-compliant residences when a complaint arises. However, according to DHCS, there are only 16 Investigative Complaint Analysts who handle the entirety of the State's non-compliant sober living facility investigations. California has nearly 2,000 licensed facilities and countless unlicensed homes â an alarming 15% of those homes are saturated in Orange County. Unfortunately, the Complaint Analysts are all located in Sacramento, causing a backlog in complaint processes, investigation responses, and general monitoring.
PRESS RELEASES
Assemblywoman Quirk-Silva Advances Legislation For Safer Neighborhoods and Sober Living Facilities
Thursday, April 6, 2017
RELATED NEWS ARTICLES
'Urgent...alarming' â but rehab investigator won't be in thick of SoCal action any time soon
Orange County Register, July 20, 2017
Costa Mesa plans to fund $125,000 for state sober-living home inspector
Orange County Register, June 22, 2017
Assembly bill would provide county-based investigator for complaints about sober-living facilities
LA Times, March 17, 2017