At their April 16 meeting, City Council members agreed to publicly support several bills that are making their way through the state legislature that deal with sober living, land use and development, public safety and licensing of athletic trainers.
On the heels of this action, Mayor Katrina Foley signed letters of support on the city’s behalf.
The following are the bill numbers and brief descriptions:
Sober Living Bills
- AB 919: Establishes an enforcement arm of the Department of Health Care Services to monitor and enforce sanctions on unauthorized sober living homes.
- AB 920: Exempts sober living homes with a financial relationship from being considered residential uses of property. In other words, sober living homes operated by a single entity as a business can no longer file for permits as residential uses of property.
- AB 940: Imposes fines on sober living homes brokering patients, or receiving some form of remuneration (compensation) for referring patients to other programs/facilities.
- AB 1779:Establishes certification requirements for sober living facilities that are recognized by the state
Land Use & Development Bills
- AB 1199: Subjects Fairview Developmental Center to public hearing to determine future use of land
- AB 65: Prioritizes Proposition 68 funding for projects that utilize natural infrastructure
Public Safety Bills
- AB 1327: Requires licensed narcotic treatment programs to make available safe storage products for medication. This is an effort to reduce the rise in accidental overdose in children.
- SB 689: Authorizes entities to engage in a needle exchange program only if approved by a local jurisdiction.
Licensing – Athletic Trainers
- AB 1592: Establishes licensing procedures for athletic trainers, which would benefit local high school sports teams.
These bills will be heard next week, on both Tuesday April 23 and Wednesday April 24. The bills to be heard on April 23 include: Assembly Bills 919, 920, 940, 1779 and 1592. The bills to be heard on April 24 include: Assembly Bills 1199, 1327 and Senate Bill 689.
Assembly Bill 65 has passed through the committee process and awaits a hearing.
Residents are encouraged to reach out to their state legislative leaders to ask them to support these bills.
Here is the contact information for the Assembly and State Senate:
Assemblywoman Cottie Petrie-Norris, 74th District
District Phone: (714) 668-2100
Email: assemblymember.norris@assembly.ca.gov
Senator John Moorlach, 37th District
District Phone: (714) 662-6050
Email: senator.moorlach@senate.ca.gov