THAT’S DEBATABLE:Addressing a local issue with broader policymaking

What role should the Newport Beach City Council take in addressing issues residents have raised about drug and alcohol recovery homes?The City Council should take a leadership role in addressing this issue. This leadership should involve two primary initiatives:

The recently formed council committee for intense residential occupancy should provide an excellent forum to educate, talk with and collaborate with residents in pursuit of the first initiative above. The multi-city conference organized by Mayor Steve Rosansky and the city of Newport Beach scheduled for Friday should provide an excellent start in addressing changes in state law, especially in light of the bill state Sen. Tom Harman recently introduced.

This issue is at the top of the priority list for the City Council, and we will stay focused on it for as long as it takes to make meaningful progress.

Councilman Michael Henn

District 1

I think the City Council should take a leadership role, and I think we have. We’ve devoted a lot of city resources and our attorney’s time. We’re looking at our ordinances to see where we can tighten them up, and we participated in the town hall meeting sponsored by Sen. Tom Harman. In addition, we’re pursuing efforts to revise the laws with regard to regulation of sober-living and group homes, with our sponsorship of the residential recovery facilities conference that’s happening in Newport Beach on Friday. People from more than 80 cities across the state are coming together to discuss how we can regulate the mushrooming sober-living and group home industry.

Councilman Steve Rosansky

District 2

Group homes with six or fewer people are protected by federal and state laws, and cities are limited in the regulations that can be imposed. Our role is to listen to the concerns of our constituents, collect examples of effects and try to get federal and state legislation passed that will allow the effects to be mitigated. To get results with legislators we need to form a coalition with cities and counties to make our voice loud enough to be heard in Sacramento and Washington, D.C.

Councilman Don Webb

District 3

This is another example of Sacramento mandating how local cities decide land-use policy. We are working with our legislative delegation and many cities throughout California to change state law to let cities determine how to address group treatment homes.

Councilwoman Leslie Daigle

District 4

Did not respond.

Councilman Ed Selich

District 5

As Mayor Rosansky so eloquently noted at the town hall meeting last Thursday, the proliferation and density of these homes can change a neighborhood from what most people would consider residential into some sort of quasi-commercial zone. It is important that the council understands the legal rights of both the owners and the occupants of such homes, but it is critical that we work to protect the quality of life of our residents and not accept the status quo. We are on the right track with the formation of a residents advisory group that will bring fresh ideas and improved communication, with legislation that has just been introduced by Sen. Tom Harman, and with the conference this Friday that brings together more than 80 cities to begin working together on this problem.

Councilwoman Nancy Gardner

District 6

The city should take the lead in identifying legal and constitutional strategies to address the effect of multiple group homes on neighborhoods, particularly when there is a concentration of these facilities. The city should also work with our state legislators and congressional representatives to ensure that state and federal laws help rather than hurt these efforts. Finally, our city is playing an important role in educating state officials and other local leaders on the status of current laws and the need for reform.

Councilman Keith Curry

District 7