Council adds sober-living language to 2025 legislative platform; Rhodes to advocate in Sacramento

The Simi Valley City Council unanimously approved an updated 2025 legislative platform Tuesday that adds a line supporting legislation "for sober living and recovery homes that aligns with local efforts to ensure community and neighborhood safety and effective treatment options."

Deputy City Manager Suma Gai Sai explained the council previously reviewed the two-year legislative platform and that Councilmember Rocky Rhodes requested the additional language to enable the city to advocate for reforms that would give local governments more visibility and regulatory tools regarding sober-living facilities. Staff told the council Simi Valley currently houses about 10 sober-living facilities over which the city has limited oversight and that regulation and certification are managed primarily at the state level and by the Ventura County Fire Protection District.

Rhodes, who is serving on a statewide sober-living task force of elected officials, said the bills under consideration generally aim to increase local visibility and align licensing, certification and local oversight so cities can better balance treatment access and neighborhood protections. Heather Simagase and Suma Gai Sai told the council that four bills from the task-force package (AB 424, AB 425, AB 492 and SB 329) were scheduled for hearings this week in Sacramento and that the city delegation planned to engage at the League of California Cities' City Leaders Summit.

Councilmember Elaine Litzler suggested placing the language under the platformsection that addresses housing rather than under homelessness, and councilmembers agreed to reflect neighborhood-level impacts by inserting "and neighborhood" into the adopted language. With that amendment, the council approved the revised legislative platform and authorized Rhodes to represent Simi Valley's position in Sacramento events this week.