Councilwoman Katrina Foley Wants Changes to the Laws That Prohibit

Regulating Sober-Living Homes

Costa Mesa City Council member Katrina Foley travels to Washington DC with other Orange
County elected officials to ask for rehab home reforms. Senator Feinstein agreed to help.

Costa Mesa, CA, December 28, 2017 --(PR.com)-- Councilwoman Katrina Foley was in Washington
D.C. in early December (arrived on the 10th and returned home late on the 12th) in an effort to speak with
federal leaders about abuses by sober living home operators and the federal laws that prevent cities,
counties and states from regulating their activities. Organized by the Association of California Cities
— Orange County and the California Contract Cities Association, the trip was meant to raise
awareness of problems cities are facing as rehab homes exploit the opioid crisis, and to push for reforms
that would empower local municipalities to regulate such facilities.

Costa Mesa's proliferation of sober-living homes prompted Foley to join forces with the Association of
California Cities - Orange County to advocate for sober-living reform. Foley was one of nine community
leaders that made the journey to the nation's capital. Ms. Foley represented Costa Mesa and joined elected
officials from Malibu, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Hills,
Tustin and LaCananda/Flintridge.

From 2012-2016, Costa Mesa became the hub for the sober-living rehab industry in Orange County.
Foley has been working feverishly with other community leaders on this issue. On November 3, 2017,
local residents were able to discuss the problems and hear from from state Assemblywoman Sharon
Quirk-Silva (D-Fullerton), Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R-Huntington Beach), Deputy District
Attorney Hope Callahan, city and public safety officials and representatives of sober-living facilities at
the Costa Mesa Senior Center on W. 19th Street. Foley was Costa Mesa's Mayor at the time and had
prioritized reform to protect the patients and the public from exploitation. She had long been dealing with
other city officials on the now adopted regulations aimed at stemming the local proliferation of
sober-living facilities and addressing their effects.

Foley is a dedicated supporter of Quirk-Silva's Assembly Bill 572. If approved, the bill would require the
state Department of Health Care Services to place an inspector in Costa Mesa to look into complaints
against licensed treatment and recovery facilities for adult alcoholism or drug abuse. Currently, the
department's 16 investigators are headquartered in Sacramento. The Orange County pilot program is
currently on a 2 year track.

Another major issue, Foley said, is that some sober-living operators will evict, or “curb,” their residents
without any kind of support. Some of those residents, particularly those brought in from out of state, end
up homeless. “Basically, it's human trafficking for drug addicts and they are then being kicked out once
their insurance expires or if they go off the program and now they're on our streets,” Foley said.

Despite Costa Mesa's regulations, cities' options are limited because recovering alcoholics and drug
addicts are considered disabled under state and federal law. The Fair Housing Act and Americans with

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Disabilities Act are used by abusive rehab home operators as a shield to prevent local agencies from
regulating any of their activities.

A sober-living home that's licensed through the state and has six or fewer residents, for instance, is
essentially exempt from Costa Mesa's rules, such as a requirement that such facilities be at least 650 feet
from one another in residential areas.

Day One in Washington D.C.: Foley and the group of eight other elected officials, a few lawyers, and
staff from the Association of California Cities, Orange County met with Senator Diane Feinstein (D-San
Francisco) and several members of her staff. Senator Feinstein gave a generous amount of time to the
group as she desired to learn about, and discuss the complexities of residential recovery reform that is
much needed. The advocacy group also met with several Congressional office staff and HUD
representatives.

Day Two in Washington D.C.: The day began with an in-depth meeting with Senator Kamala Harris's
office in the Hart Senate Building. Her Chief of Staff and Legislative unit agreed to work with Foley and
her group to find solutions to the challenges faced by those seeking to discover and make possible
satisfactory residential recovery reforms.

The California group also attended the Energy and Commerce Committee - Oversight and Investigation
Sub-Committee where they were investigating patient brokering and fraud in addiction treatment facilities
and sober living homes. Many of the reports and articles that the group shared with the Congressional
offices was actually entered into the record during the hearing. Florida State attorneys took the lead and
shared many of the same concerns the California group experienced. The committee was well informed
and understand the abuses.

The whirlwind trip was extremely helpful to all that went. Foley especially looks forward to working with
the various federal leaders willing to help and the many Congressional offices willing to advocate for
changes to the laws that prohibit regulating this industry. As a seasoned attorney, Foley knows it won't be
easy to change any federal law -- it's a lot easier to change local or state law than on the federal level, but
she knows there are possibilities for taking action at any level. She knows she and her group,are on the
right track and she has vowed to keep working hard to make the necessary changes. “People are dying;
something has to be done, ” said Foley.

About Katrina Foley

Katrina Foley was elected to the Costa Mesa City Council for the third time in 2014, and she served as
mayor from 2016-2017.

Prior to her election to the council, she was elected to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District Board of
Trustees in 2010.

She previously served the public on the Costa Mesa City Council when elected in November 2004 and
again in 2008. Katrina's focus is on making the community of Costa Mesa better for families.

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Awards and Recognitions
In 2011, Katrina was recognized as a Woman that Matters for families for the Sage Women Awards, and
also as a Community Leader Advocate for Youth Sports by Costa Mesa United. In 2010, she was
awarded the Orange Coast College “2010 Outstanding Citizen of the Year” for her volunteer services and
activities in the Costa Mesa and OCC community. In 2009, Katrina received recognition from the Sierra
Club for her efforts to Go Green in Costa Mesa. In December 2007, she was awarded the Advocating
Healthy Families Super Star Award from the Health Funders Partnership of Orange County, and in April
2007, she was awarded the Childs Pace John Upton Award for her work to enrich and lighten the load of
families in Costa Mesa. In 2008, Katrina was awarded the Board member of the year award for the
Orange County Trial Lawyers Association for her work on the Pediatric Cancer Research Gala
Fundraiser.

Katrina is dedicated to collaborating within the community to improve our neighborhoods, schools, and
maintain a prosperous and vibrant business community.

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Contact Information:

Katrina Foley
949.502.8800
Contact via Email
http://katrinafoley.com

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/740023

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