Cal Cities moves recovery housing reform forward

By Caroline Grinder, legislative affairs lobbyist and Brian Hendershot, Cal Cities Advocate managing editor

Cal Cities is leading the charge on four bills this session that would ensure drug and alcohol recovery facilities follow state regulations and provide high-quality treatment. The measures would address longstanding challenges facing many cities by creating more oversight and transparency that protects residents and holds bad actors accountable.

While Cal Cities has sponsored similar measures in the past, the Legislature and Governor have yet to pass comprehensive legislation that addresses these concerns.  

The challenge

Residential recovery housing can provide a safe place for people to receive support and ultimately integrate back into their communities. Studies show that when done correctly, residential treatment can improve patient outcomes and increase completion rates.  

When done wrong, the opposite can happen. Patients can relapse, become homeless, and in extreme cases, die. Too many facilities in one area can also undercut one of the chief appeals of residential treatment programs: rehabilitation and support services in a therapeutic environment that is part of a community. 

The Orange County Register documented many of these issues in a 2017 series titled Rehab Riviera and in the years since. The five biggest counties in Southern California — most notably Orange County — have nearly eight times as many facilities as the five biggest counties in Northern California.

Many residents have expressed concerns about the ability of the state to respond to such claims. According to The OC Register, there are just under 20 inspectors for the nearly 2,000 rehab centers in California. As the number of facilities continues to rise, the state faces a major hurdle in monitoring and regulating these facilities.  

Four possible reforms

Recovery housing can play a key role in supporting vulnerable residents and safer communities. However, the state must also address the need for more oversight, accountability, and transparency. Compliance with state licensing laws is essential to safeguarding every person’s well-being and care — both inside and outside recovery homes.  

Cal Cities’ sponsored measures would address these concerns while upholding the purpose and integrity of neighborhood care programs. A measure introduced by Asm. Laurie Davies and co-sponsored by Cal Cities, AB 2081, would require licensed treatment facilities to publicly disclose any violations on their website. AB 2574 (Valencia) would codify a 2019 case law that determined that unlicensed recovery homes operating as part of a licensed treatment facility located elsewhere may be considered unlawful business use within a residential zone.

SB 913 (Umberg) would allow cities to collaborate with the state to investigate and enforce existing licensing laws. Under AB 2121 (Dixon), the state would also need to notify cities when it approves a license within their jurisdiction and implement distance requirements consistent with those for other group homes.

What’s next?

Legislators are out of town for spring recess. They return to Sacramento on April 1, marking the start of the legislative cycle in earnest.

Policy committees will also resume in April. These meetings are great opportunities for city officials to voice their support for Cal Cities’ recovery housing package. Stay tuned for opportunities to take action and help advance these bills through the legislative cycle. Some sample letters of support for Cal Cities’ recovery housing bills are already available online.