Cal Cities-sponsored recovery housing bills now on the Governor’s desk

AB 2081 (Davies) and AB 2574 (Valencia) passed out of the Senate unanimously

By Caroline Grinder, legislative affairs lobbyist

Two recovery housing bills sponsored by Cal Cities are now in Gov. Gavin Newsom's hands. Cal Cities is urging the Governor to sign both measures.

Residential recovery housing provides a wide range of benefits to some of California's most vulnerable residents. However, some operators have put profits over people. The two measures - originally two of a four-part package - would provide much-needed transparency and hold providers accountable for high-quality treatment and care.

What would these bills do?

AB 2081 (Davies) would require licensed treatment facilities to share resources about their licensure status with potential patients. The legislation would enable patients to make informed decisions about their care and connect them to other available licensing and certification resources.

Sen. Janet Nguyen presented AB 2081 on the Senate Floor, noting it would "be greatly beneficial to patients by empowering them to look deeper into which government agency oversees these facilities … [and] learn more about treatment options and protections." She emphasized that cities across the state support the measure and urged her colleagues to do so too.

The other measure, AB 2574 (Valencia), would improve oversight of sober living homes operating as an integral part of a licensed treatment facility located elsewhere in the community. This measure would provide much-needed transparency to ensure that if a recovery residence is operated as a business with a licensed treatment facility, it is regulated like a business, not a residential home.

"Cal Cities is proud to sponsor AB 2574, commonsense transparency legislation that protects residents and holds recovery housing facilities accountable for maintaining high-quality treatment," said Cal Cities Executive Director and CEO Carolyn Coleman. "AB 2574 is good for the community, good for the neighbors, and most importantly, good for those who are receiving care."

What about the other recovery housing bills?

Following a Board directive last December, Cal Cities began pursuing legislation to address concerns about recovery housing facilities in residential areas. Cal Cities sponsored four bills this session to ensure those facilities follow state regulations and provide high-quality treatment. The legislative package sought to address longstanding challenges facing many cities by creating more oversight and transparency that protects residents and holds bad actors accountable.

While Cal Cities has sponsored similar measures in the past, the Legislature and Governor have yet to pass comprehensive legislation that addresses these concerns. Lawmakers held two of this year's sponsored bills, AB 2121 (Dixon) and SB 913 (Umberg) - yet another move in a decades-long failure to pass comprehensive reform.

Next steps

The Governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature. Sample signature request letters are available online.

Looking ahead, Asm. Diane Dixon requested an audit of facilities licensed and regulated by the Department of Health Care Services last year. Cal Cities anticipates the state will release the audit's results in the coming months. This data should provide critical information on the state's efforts to regulate these facilities and drive future attempts at reform.

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