Legislation to Speed Up Investigations of Sober Living Homes Passes Committee

SACRAMENTO – Legislation by Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, to require timely investigations into complaints about alcohol or drug treatment facilities on Wednesday passed the Senate Health Committee.

SB 329 would require the state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), the department responsible, to assign complaints about treatment facilities to staff within 10 days of receiving them and complete an investigation within 60 days. A state audit released in October 2024 found that the department took more than a year to complete 22 of 60 investigations it reviewed.

“It’s alarming to hear that serious complaints about alcohol and drug treatment facilities can take more than a year to follow up on,” said Sen. Catherine Blakespear. “SB 329 ensures the state will investigate complaints about state-licensed facilities methodically and expeditiously to safeguard the health and safety of patients and surrounding communities.”

Common complaints can include sexual misconduct, poor management of medications for residents, insufficient detoxification checks, using unlicensed counselors, failing to provide services advertised and other issues.

Alcohol and substance abuse is a widespread problem in California, with nearly 100,000 Californians receiving treatment for it in 2019, according to the audit.

California has over 2,000 drug and alcohol treatment centers licensed with DHCS, with many located in Orange and San Diego counties. Orange County has more beds for small treatment facilities per 10,000 residents than any other California county.

DHCS’s internal guidelines call for assigning complaints to staff to follow up on within 10 days and for investigations to be completed and sent to a supervisor within 30 to 60 days. For complaints not assigned within 10 days, however, it took the department an average of 183 days to get assigned, the audit said. Furthermore, it took DHCS nearly a year, on average, to complete investigations into low- and medium-priority complaints, it said.

“When Health Care Services does not complete an investigation in a timely manner, deficiencies may go unaddressed for significant periods,” the audit said.

SB 329 would also require DHCS to notify the complainant in writing when an investigation isn’t done in 60 days and of the reason for the delay.

The legislation is jointly authored by Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, and co-authored by Assemblymembers Laurie Davies, R-Laguna Niguel, and Diane Dixon, R-Newport Beach. SB 329 is sponsored by the League of California Cities and supported by the Association of California Cities – Orange County, Orange County Board of Supervisors, California State Association of Psychiatrists and Advocates for Responsible Treatment.  

Sen. Blakespear represents Senate District 38. Her constituents live in northern San Diego County and southern Orange County. To learn more about the district and Sen. Blakespear, visit her Senate website.