Darrell Issa seeks to clamp down on sober homes

U.S. Rep. Darrell Issa on Tuesday introduced a bill that would give state and local governments more latitude in regulating residential addiction recovery sites like the sober living homes proliferating in Palm Springs and other communities.

The bill would amend the federal Fair Housing Act to allow caps on the number of homes and more oversight by local and state officials.

Issa, a San Clemente Republican, said in a statement that sober homes are meant to be "the last step of recovery" but in many cases, "the legal framework for these facilities has become misused to allow bad actors to open poorly-run facilities that take advantage of good people in their most desperate time of need."

READ MORE: Ignoring city orders, Palm Springs sober homes remain open

Intervention911, an operator of two sober homes in Palm Springs sued the city in 2013 claiming officials discriminated against its tenants due to their status as recovering addicts and complaints by neighbors who believed the homes attract crime. The city has denied any discrimination in trying to force the homes to follow local zoning and fire-protections rules.

After a jury failed to reached a verdict in August, both sides said they hoped to settle. The case remains open.

Issa's office said his bill would allow local governments to limited the number of sober homes within a neighborhood, but only if zoning is needed to preserve the character of a residential community and at least some homes are allowed. The bill would also give cities and states the authority to require licenses of sober homes and set standards for how homes receive money through federal health programs.

In California, sober homes are not licensed but are told they must comply with local zoning and occupancy rules.

Health reporter Barrett Newkirk can be reached at (760)778-4767, barrett.newkirk@desertsun.com or Twitter @barrettnewkirk.