By Daniel Ritz
Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas announced the start of a new county task force, Sober Living Home Investigation and Prosecution (SLIP), during the June 19 City Council meeting. This task force, which aims to enforce statewide regulations on renegade and unlawful sober living homes and residential treatment facilities, will model the successful Human Exploitation and Trafficking Unit (HEAT) that has landed more than 300 felony convictions, including eight life sentences.
Councilwoman Lewis asked Rackauckas if the task force had been effective in any large-scale cases to date, to which the district attorney responded saying that his staff has already filed a number of criminal cases where the alleged perpetrators have ceased operation.
There is a hotline available for citizens concerned about a sober living home or residential treatment facility near them that can be reached by calling 714.647.3228.
All these lawsuits, and hotlines, but is anything really changing? It seems one leaves and 4 more come in to replace them. When is the City, State, and Federal Government going to take some real action? This industry is run like the wild west and the real losers are the addicts and their families, plus the neighborhoods that are hosting rogue rehabs.