Issue Position: Sober Living Homes

Issue Position

Help may be on the way from Congress and even the State of California seems to be finally aware of the issue:

This issue has been affecting communities statewide for years. I will do whatever legally and legislatively possible to protect our communities and ensure the peaceful enjoyment of your home. That is why I strongly support efforts underway to resolve the issue.

Unfortunately the Democrats controlling the State of California have made it very difficult to find any legal means for assisting under present State Laws in addition to Federal Law with regard to what constitutes a "family" and the Americans with Disability Act. Cities (Newport Beach in particular) seemed to have made an effort to write a statute that would deal with zoning, etc. but ran into litigation and state push-back on their efforts.

However, there is new light on the issue from the federal level and state level. Recently, Congresswoman Mimi Walters, and others on both sides of the aisle passed HR 4684 which was authored by Congresswoman Judy Chu to ensure the facilities that receive federal funds are regulated and certified for treatment. The bill was received in the Senate on June 13, 2018 and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. I support this step in the right direction to ensure that those facilities that do not adhere to standards of care or best practices do not receive federal dollars.

The House Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution and Civil Justice will also be holding hearings on sober living homes in the community, where additional measures will be discussed.

And… it also appears that even the California Legislature is taking note of the problem that Republicans have raised for years. SB 823 requires licensed rehabs in California to adopt the American Society of Addiction Medicine's treatment criteria as the minimum standard of care.

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