Costa Mesa To Help Fund Group Home Amicus Brief

NEWPORT BEACH ASKS FOR HELP
Today the City of Costa Mesa announced, HERE, that, in response to a request by Newport Beach City Manager Dave Kiff, it will contribute $10,000 to help fund an amicus brief to support Newport Beach's attempt to get its group-home ordinance reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court.


ONGOING EXPENSIVE PROBLEM
Newport Beach has been dealing with group homes - primarily drug and alcohol rehabilitation homes - for many years and has fought extensive, expensive legal battles trying to find a way to mitigate the impact of those kinds of facilities on their neighborhoods.



PRESERVING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
Costa Mesa has recently had a very sharp, significant increase in the proliferation of such homes, to the extent that Mayor Jim Righeimer has formed a Preserve Our Neighborhoods Task Force, HERE, comprised of residents that, guided by city staff, conducts their meetings privately - not subject to the Ralph M. Brown open meeting law - to attempt to find a solution to the problem.  This "secrecy" has riled many residents.

NUISANCE ABATEMENT ORDINANCE
The recently-enacted the Nuisance Abatement Ordinance HERE was another step planned to help exercise some control over the negative impact of such facilities in neighborhoods throughout the city - which seem to be opening primarily on the Eastside.

TBON PETITION
The grass roots group Take Back Our Neighborhoods (TBON) has produced an on-line petition requesting the City issue an immediate moratorium on such homes, including so-called "half-way houses" for prisoners recently released under the State of California's AB109 program, HERE. A moratorium will be highly unlikely, since under current law such facilities with six or fewer "residents" are considered "families" and are governed by the same rules as any other family home in our city.  Still, with more than 100 signatories to the petition based on last reports, if nothing else it demonstrates the growing concern by residents of this city about what is becoming a very big issue.

HOPING FOR BROAD SUPPORT
According to Communication Director Bill Lobdell, it is hoped that many more cities throughout our region and the state will participate in the amicus brief on this issue in an attempt to convince the United States Supreme Court that this is an issue worthy of their consideration.  It seems like $10,000 well-spent toward the resolution of a problem that affects many communities.