Council Panels to Discuss Special Needs Housing

Two Los Angeles City Council committees have scheduled a Jan. 6 session to continue work on staff reports and recommendations for resolving issues arising from a range of special needs housing in San Pedro, including a possible moratorium on additional beds for recovering alcoholics or drug addicts.

The Planning and Land Use Management and the Housing and Community Redevelopment committees will convene at 1 p.m. in Room 340 at City Hall in downtown Los Angeles to consider a moratorium and other steps, including improved enforcement of anti-nuisance laws.

Councilman Rudy Svorinich Jr., who is chairman of the housing committee and represents San Pedro, said the panels are focusing on state-licensed drug and alcohol treatment facilities. There are 10 such facilities in San Pedro and 17 community care or “sober living” homes that are not required to obtain state licenses.

Meanwhile, Svorinich said, he is considering seeking state legislation that would give cities more influence over the placement and regulation of group residences for the disabled, mentally ill, addicted or others, and would restrict courts from placing people in unlicensed facilities.