Malibuites Concerned about Rehab Proliferation Gather Signatures for Their Cause

• Critics of Clustering Face an Uphill Battle with Sacramento

BY ANNE SOBLE

Incidents involving patients at local drug rehabilitation facilities that neighbors say have posed serious threats to public health and safety are spurring an effort to ask the City of Malibu to pass laws that would limit the number of employees at a home-based business, and apply those curbs to businesses operating in adjacent residential properties.
The neighbors say the trend toward clustering rehab facilities in neighborhoods, even on the same street, bypasses zoning laws and adversely impacts quality of life.
Previous calls for curbs on rehab proliferation have failed because these facilities are regulated by the state and largely have been exempted from local control. The rehab industry has potent lobbyists in Sacramento and contributes generously to campaign coffers.
Some rehab operators also have used largess to ingratiate themselves with local organizations and that has helped mute concerns about where they locate. In addition, they often pay top dollars for the houses they purchase.
The contingent of concerned Malibuites hopes that the city council will support their efforts to get the state policies exempting rehabs from residential zoning laws changed.
To do this, they have launched a petition drive at the website www.ipetitions.com/petition/rrr/ that reads: “We call on the California State Senate and Assembly to pass new regulations which would mandate the following:
1. No more than one six-bed facility per square mile.
2. Mandatory non-smoking policies for all patients and staff at any facility located in any wildfire-prone area.
3. The total number of patient beds for all facilities in any one community must not exceed the estimated actual need for that community.
4. Facilities accepting patients who do not live in that community must be restricted to areas zoned for commercial medical facilities, and must be prohibited from using properties in residential neighborhoods.
5. All rehabs must otherwise abide by the same regulations which apply to other commercial medical facilities.
6. All rehabs must publish 3-, 6-, and 12-month success/recidivism rates for all patients receiving care at their facility.”
The matter is slated for airing at the May 26 city council meeting.