COMMUNITY COMMENTARY:City must insist on changes to its rehab-home policy

Who does Newport Beach City Councilman Steve Rosansky think he is kidding? The number of rehab houses in Newport now totals more than 100 and is still growing because the city is encouraging it, not because talks with other cities are needed.

For more than five years, the city has refused to enforce its own zoning code, which would regulate any and all houses converting to residential treatment homes, also known as rehab houses. These rehab homes provide treatment to drug and alcohol addicts. “Treatment,” according to California state law, includes any of the following: rehabilitation, group counseling, individual counseling, detoxification, recovery services, drug and alcohol education. Note: All 100 homes include some kind of “treatment,” which means they must be licensed by the state of California, and all are subject to city regulations. And Newport is home to some of the biggest rehab homes in Orange County — some homes have as many as 49 occupants.

Let’s get honest. If, as city leaders claim, they can do nothing to regulate these rehab homes (but instead need to hold talks with other cities), then ask yourself and your City Council member these questions.

How could the City Council pass new zoning last year to keep rehab houses in Newport out of single-family home neighborhoods? Well, they did. And, what a coincidence that all voting members of the City Council live in single-family homes in Newport. How convenient, huh? I guess they will never have to worry, as we do, with these rehab homes as neighbors.

How could the city have nearly doubled the occupancy of one beachfront rehab home? This triplex now can hold 49 people! Without announcement, notice to the community, a public hearing, nor permit application required by city zoning, Newport gave this rehab home a “free ride” to nearly double in size. Ignoring four years of complaints by hundreds of neighbors of this rehab house, the city re-issued a new occupancy certificate this year increasing the house’s occupancy from 27 to 49 people! And this house only has three off-street parking spaces. Any wonder there’s no beach parking on the peninsula?

Why are there no state-licensed rehab homes in the city of Irvine? Let me repeat, there are no rehab homes in Irvine. Not one! How can Irvine enforce similar zoning codes as Newport, while Newport ignores its own zoning regulations?

Finally, what’s this smoke screen about sober living houses? A sober living home is defined by California law as a home where no treatment can take place. No counseling, detox, rehab, etc. Nothing. Recovered addicts can only “live” in a sober living home, and nothing can be required of them, no treatment. And it is true, the city cannot regulate a sober living home. But note: There are no sober living houses in Newport. Why? There is no money in that kind of business. But there is big money in rehab houses. Currently rehab houses are receiving more than $25,000 per addict for treatment during a three- to five-month stay. This means millions of dollars a year for one rehab house with only 10 beds. No wonder rehab profiteers have found a haven in Newport and love it here.

Wake up, Newport. Your neighborhoods, beaches and community are being filled with thousands of local and out-of-state criminally-convicted addicts to benefit profiteers. And the city of Newport is either incompetent, in collusion, or simply ill-informed of its rights and obligations to regulate these rehab homes.

Newport holds the power to change it all and follow Irvine’s example, but Newport has failed. Instead city leaders hide behind bogus federal, state and handicapped laws and call for more talks? Soon they will claim rehab houses are protected by U.S. Homeland Security. Shouldn’t we all be asking why?