City Council agrees to explore ways to regulate sober-living homes
The Huntington Beach City Council agreed Monday to explore regulatory options on the city’s sober-living homes and addiction treatment centers, but declined to draft any specific laws on the matter for the time being.
The vote marked the first time the council has brought up the topic, which has long plagued other cities throughout Orange County, namely neighboring Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.
The council’s decision comes as Huntington Beach officials say residents are attributing noise and other negative effects in their neighborhoods to sober-living homes, which house people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction.
Though officials declined to comment on how many calls they’ve received, Councilman Michael Posey said in a follow-up interview Tuesday that it was enough “to get our attention.”
As of April 15, Huntington Beach had 21 state-licensed treatment facilities, 13 of which are based in residential areas, according to city records.
City Hall has no records of how many sober-living homes — which don’t require a state permit if they house six or fewer people — are in Huntington Beach.
“What we’re looking for is what we can do to curve the proliferation” of the homes, Posey said.
City Attorney Michael Gates said his office is looking to address the problem without spurring a lawsuit.
In recent years, Costa Mesa has attempted to regulate the sober-living industry based there, but faced legal challenges in federal court after a pair of operators sued, contending that Costa Mesa was discriminating against a protected class of people. Newport also went to court to defend its sober-living ordinance, only to lose after a lengthy and costly legal battle.
Gates said he has a “number of ideas” for how the sober-living industry could be regulated effectively in Huntington Beach. He’s looking to bring options back to the council at a later date.
“This is going to be a very legal analysis undertaking,” he said.
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Twitter: @BrittanyWoolsey
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