From: CJ McMullin
To: Public Comments
Cc: CJ McMullin
Subject: Off-agenda item for public commentary at tonight"s meeting Date: Tuesday, April 8, 2025 2:03:35 PM
Honorary Members of the Laguna Hills City Council,
I wish to address the following off-agenda item during the 3-minute public comment session and wanted to provide my verbal commentary in writing to you in advance. Please note the following...
In consideration of what happened recently when a group with terrorist affiliations used our city recreation center to hold a meeting, many of us were concerned and discussed the issue. On behalf of the community, we would like to know, moving forward, what will be done to protect our community from similar occurrences.
This also brought about discussions regarding our community’s preparedness for not only natural disasters but other disruptions such as civil unrest, active shooters, aggravated protestors, acts of terrorism, etc. We would appreciate knowing if the city has evaluated vulnerable targets and made plans to harden those targets. Are the city council members part of InfraGard or at least familiar with it? InfraGard is a US Department of Justice program worth looking into.
We were good about discussing disaster preparedness after the big earthquake, but we seem to have become complacent. And of course, response time for police and EMS is reasonable when not overburdened. However, an act of terrorism, for example, could easily overwhelm our systems and citizens would need to rely upon themselves and their neighbors for assistance. Has Laguna Hills considered bringing back CERT training? Or at least training people in CPR & AED, basic fire, basic first aid and ‘Stop the Bleed’?
Years ago, we had a CERT team. I was part of that training back in 2011. Such training increases awareness of the potential scenarios we face as citizens and the appropriate responses that can be taken.
CPR has been around for decades, and I would ask the city of Laguna Hills to encourage our citizens to learn CPR and AED.
A newer course on the scene is ‘Stop the Bleed’. I encourage our city council to get trained and offer training for our citizens. Stop the Bleed is an excellent tool in the event of an auto accident, a shooting or a stabbing, basically a situation where uncontrolled, excessive bleeding could lead to death in minutes.
First aid for opioid overdose is also a worthy course for citizens, especially for teachers and parents. There are non-prescription drugs such as Narcan that can save lives.
With the political climate such that it is, people committing violence against Tesla owners, protesters for Palestine, it is unreasonable to think Laguna Hills will be exempt from violence. Is Laguna Hills ready for this? Have we identified soft targets and determined what our response will be? Are the citizens of Laguna Hills prepared for an attack of the magnitude and severity of October 7th ? Blessings. Grace and Peace be with you.
Cynthia 'CJ' Jensen-McMullin, PhD
Public Comments
April 8, 2025
Non Agendized Item
26895 Aliso Creek Road
Aliso Viejo, CA 92656
This email has been scanned for spam and viruses by Proofpoint Essentials. Click here to report this email as spam.
CITY OF LAGUNA HILLS
Supplemental Agenda Material Memo
Supplemental Agenda Materials related to an item on a City Council Agenda, submitted to the City Council after distribution of the agenda packet, will be available for public inspection at the same time the materials are distributed to the City Council. Supplemental Agenda Materials are available for inspection during normal business hours in the City Clerk’s office located at 24035 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills, California. In addition, such materials will be made available for public review at the same time the materials are distributed to the City Council on the City’s website at: https://lagunahillsca.portal.civicclerk.com/ and at the respective public meeting.
DATE: April 8, 2025
TO: City Council
City Staff
FROM: Jennifer Lee, City Clerk
SUBJECT: Agenda Item No. 4.7 – Support for Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, and Senate Bill 329
This memo is to note a correction made to the recent staff report titled Support for Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, and Senate Bill 329 regarding state legislation on alcohol and drug recovery facilities.
Upon review, a discrepancy has been identified in the bill numbers referenced at the end of several paragraphs. These did not accurately correspond with the summaries provided for each piece of legislation. The attached report has been updated to ensure the bill numbers match the correct legislative descriptions throughout.
Attachments:
Revised Staff Report - Support for Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, and Senate Bill 329
Item No. 4.7
City of Laguna Hills
City Council / Planning Agency
Staff Report
Date: April 8, 2025
To: Mayor and Council Members
From: Jarad Hildenbrand, City Manager
Issue: Support for Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, and Senate Bill 329 Recommendation: That the City Council authorize the Mayor to send a letters of support for Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, as well as Senate Bill 329, which seek to strengthen oversight, licensing, and regulatory enforcement of alcohol and drug recovery or treatment facilities to ensure the safety and well-being of individuals in recovery and the communities in which these facilities operate.
Background:
California cities have faced challenges in managing the impacts of alcohol and drug recovery facilities within their communities, particularly regarding local oversight, licensing, and complaint resolution. In response, multiple bills have been introduced in the State Legislature to establish clearer regulations, enhance licensing requirements, improve discharge planning, streamline complaint processes, and strengthen investigations into facility compliance. These legislative efforts aim to balance community concerns with the need for effective and well-regulated recovery services AB 3 (Dixon) Alcohol and drug treatment facilities: local regulation Current law requires an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility that serves 6 or fewer persons to be considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation, regardless of whether or not unrelated persons are living together. This bill would exempt an alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility licensed on or after January 1, 2026, from being considered a residential use of property for the purposes of local regulation if the facility is located within 300 feet of another recovery or treatment facility, both facilities share the same owner or director or share programs or amenities, and the total number of residents in both facilities is greater than 6. The Item No. 4.7
Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports AB 3, while the League of California Cities has taken a "watch" position.
AB 423 (Davies) Alcohol and drug recovery or treatment facilities: discharge and continuing care planning Current law requires a licensee of adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery and treatment facilities to provide recovery, treatment, or detoxification services. Current law authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to adopt regulations requiring records and procedures that are appropriate for each of those services, including, among others, discharge and continuing care planning. This bill would instead require the department to adopt regulations requiring discharge and continuing care planning that are appropriate for each of the aforementioned services. The bill would require the department to adopt regulations requiring a licensee to, among other things, develop a plan to help the patient return to their home community at the conclusion of treatment, as specified, and schedule for the patient a follow-up meeting with a mental health or substance use disorder professional to occur no more than 7 days after discharge. The Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports AB 423, while the League of California Cities has taken a "watch" position.
AB 424 (Davies) Alcohol and other drug programs: complaints Current law prohibits the operation, establishment, management, conduct, or maintenance of an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility to provide recovery, treatment, or detoxification services within this state without first obtaining a current valid license. This bill would, when the State Department of Health Care Services receives a complaint against a licensed alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, or a complaint alleging that a facility is unlawfully operating without a license, from a member of the public, require the department to provide, within 30 days of the date of the complaint, notice to the person filing the complaint that the complaint has been received and to provide, upon closing the complaint, notice to the person filing the complaint that the complaint has been closed and whether the department found the facility to be in violation of the provisions governing facility licensure and regulation. The Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports AB 424, while the League of California Cities is the bill’s sponsor.
AB 425 (Davies) Certification of alcohol and other drug programs Current law grants the sole authority in state government to the State Department of Health Care Services to certify alcohol or other drug programs and to license adult alcohol or other drug abuse recovery or treatment facilities. Current law requires the department to adopt the American Society of Addiction Medicine treatment criteria, or an equivalent evidencebased standard, as the minimum standard of care for licensed facilities and requires a Item No. 4.7
licensee to maintain those standards with respect to the level of care to be provided by the licensee. This bill would similarly require the department to adopt the American Society of Addiction Medicine treatment criteria, or an equivalent evidence-based standard, as the minimum standard of care for alcohol or other drug programs certified by the department. The bill would also require certified programs to maintain those standards with respect to the level of care provided by the certified program. The Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports AB 425, while the League of California Cities has taken a "watch" position.
AB 492 (Valencia) Alcohol and drug programs: licensing Current law authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to issue a license to operate an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility upon receipt of a completed written application, fire clearance, and licensing fee, as specified. This bill would require the department, whenever it issues a license to operate an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility, to concurrently provide written notification of the issuance of the license to the city or county in which the facility is located. The bill would require the notice to include the name and mailing address of the licensee and the location of the facility. The Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports AB 492, while the League of California Cities is the bill’s sponsor.
SB 329 (Blakespear) Alcohol and drug recovery or treatment facilities: investigations Current law prohibits operating an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility to provide recovery, treatment, or detoxification services within this state without first obtaining a current valid license. If a facility is alleged to be providing those services without a license, current law requires the department to conduct a site visit to investigate the allegation. Current law also authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to conduct announced or unannounced site visits to licensed facilities for the purpose of reviewing them for compliance, as specified. This bill would require the department to assign a complaint regarding an alcohol or other drug recovery or treatment facility to an analyst for investigation within 10 days of receiving the complaint. The bill would require the department to complete an investigation into a complaint regarding a facility within 60 days of receiving the complaint. The Association of California Cities – Orange County (ACC-OC) supports SB 329, while the League of California Cities is the bill’s sponsor.
Fiscal Impact:
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the City of Laguna Hills in supporting Assembly Bills 3, 423, 424, 425, and 492, as well as Senate Bill 329 Item No. 4.7
Attachments:
None