New statewide legislation that would help cities such as Malibu crack down on drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities that “cluster” within city limits and disregard local zoning laws could be in the works soon, Councilman Lou La Monte announced this week.
La Monte did not specify what the legislation could entail, but said he, Mayor Joan House, City Manager Jim Thorsen and City Attorney Christi Hogin had a series of successful meetings in Sacramento on Aug. 15, and Malibu plans on enlisting other California cities to ramp up the fight.
During their trip to Sacramento, Malibu officials said they met with Sen. Fran Pavley and Assemblyman Richard Bloom, who both represent Malibu in the State Senate and Assembly. Officials also sat down with Diana Dooley, secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency.
Earlier this year, the City of Malibu launched an effort to get local rehabs to follow zoning regulations in a letter submitted to the State’s Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (ADP). The office of Malibu City Attorney Christi Hogin cited a 2007 complaint by the city accusing Passages Malibu, a rehab center which charges customers up to $90,000 per month, of providing false information to the state and sidestepping city regulations to get additional facilities licensed. For more on the story, read here.