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Council introduces ordinance to regulate group homes and sober-living operators after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing and broad council support, Santa Ana introduced zoning and building-code changes to regulate group homes and operator permits; the ordinance was introduced for first reading unanimously.
The Santa Ana City Council introduced for first reading an ordinance amending zoning and building regulations to create a special-use and operator-permit framework for group homes and sober-living facilities.
The ordinance, introduced by Councilmember Angel Becerra and seconded by Mayor Meskwah, aims to regulate group homes that serve persons with disabilities, impose operator permitting requirements and set fees. The council also adopted a companion resolution establishing those permit fees. The council found the action exempt from CEQA under the state guidelines cited in the staff report.
At the public hearing Shahan Susaimayan, a local property owner and landlord, told the council he supported regulation: "There needs to be some level of control between good operators and bad operators," he said, adding his own experience renting to an operator he called responsible and compliant. Several council members and staff said the ordinance reflects language and legal reasoning developed in similar litigation elsewhere in Orange County and is designed both to protect residents of group homes and to prevent operators from creating nuisance conditions.
Council action
- Motion by Councilmember Angel Becerra, second by Mayor Meskwah, to introduce for first reading zoning and building-code amendments related to group homes and to adopt a resolution establishing the group-home special-use and operator permit fees. - Vote: 7 ayes, 0 nays. Outcome: motion carried; ordinance introduced for first reading.
Context and next steps
City staff told council the text follows models that have been reviewed in nearby cities and reflects legal limits on regulating facilities for persons with disabilities. The measure will return for a second reading and final adoption at a subsequent council meeting. Staff said permit details and fee amounts will be published and that the city's Sober Living Task Force will continue coordination and outreach with operators and neighbors.
Ending: Council members framed the ordinance as balancing neighborhood quality-of-life concerns with the needs of people in recovery or with disabilities; the item now advances to the next reading and implementation planning.
