Assemblywoman’s forum in Costa Mesa will discuss oversight of addiction-treatment industry

The question of how best to regulate and increase oversight of substance abuse treatment facilities will be front and center Wednesday during a community forum and panel in Costa Mesa.

The discussion, presented by state Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris (D-Laguna Beach), also will touch on the regulatory challenges the industry presents and include perspectives from law enforcement and health professionals.

People who attend also will have a chance to give their thoughts and recommendations.

The event will run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at City Hall, 77 Fair Drive.

“The total lack of oversight in the substance abuse treatment industry is absurd,” Petrie-Norris said in a statement. “Lack of regulation has worsened the homelessness epidemic and, in the most extreme cases, is resulting in patient death. Bad operators have built networks that bill patients, patient families and insurance companies for poor and questionable services, which include no staff requirements, no outcome reporting and no health or safety standards. Californians seeking rehab deserve more.”

Along with Petrie-Norris, panelists scheduled to participate Wednesday include:

• Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley
• Wendy McEntyre, founder of Jarrod’s Law
• Nancy Clark, executive director of the Recovery Center
• Sal Landers, a former sober-living facility owner and co-manager
• Jennifer Lohse, vice president and general counsel of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
• Dr. Randolph Holmes, California Society of Addiction Medicine
• Orange County Senior Deputy District Attorney Tracy Hughes
• Orange County Assistant Sheriff Jeff Hallock

While addiction-treatment facilities and sober-living homes — which typically house recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, who are considered disabled under state and federal laws — exist throughout Orange County and the state, the issue has been particularly pronounced in Costa Mesa.

For years, residents have complained about the proliferation of such facilities in the city, blaming them for increased crime and noise, additional parking and traffic problems and harm to the overall quality of life in local neighborhoods.

The City Council adopted two ordinances in 2014 and 2015 that imposed new permitting requirements and stipulated that sober-living homes, group homes and licensed alcohol and drug treatment facilities must be at least 650 feet from one another in residential areas.

In 2017, the council adopted additional regulations aimed at increasing transparency and preventing people who were evicted from such facilities from becoming homeless.

According to recent figures, Costa Mesa has 16 city-approved group or sober-living homes. An additional 71 facilities are licensed locally through the state Department of Health Care Services.

More facilities are working their way through the approval process, are under review, have been cited by the city or are subjects of pending litigation.

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