Found at:

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/pilot/news/la-dpt-house04nov04,1,5971015.story

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CITY HALL
Rehab house irks neighbors

Peninsula residents are asking the city to deal with a treatment center that they call a nuisance. June Casagrande, Daily Pilot

NEWPORT BEACH--The question of how to deal with noise, cigarette smoke and other nuisances from a peninsula residential drug treatment center could come before the City Council as soon as Wednesday.

City staff are creating a report that will lay out for the council what exactly can be done to accommodate neighbors of Narcanon, a 32-bed residential drug and alcohol treatment center at 1810 W. Ocean Front and at 1812 W. Balboa Blvd.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FOR THE RECORD

Tuesday's story "Rehab house irks neighbors" gave the wrong address for a drug and alcohol treatment facility on Balboa Peninsula. That facility is at 1810 W. Oceanfront. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This has been such a nuisance property for so long," said Linda Orozco, a neighbor of the facility who is leading a charge to get the city to step in. "Our major issues are the density of that property and all the problems that it involves--noise, traffic."

Orozco and other neighbors have complained at the last two council meetings of everything from noisy delivery and service trucks in the alley to cigarette butts, smoke smell and vomiting noises coming from the facility.

Narcanon's Southern California Executive Director Larry Trahant said that he's eager to work with neighbors to iron out problems and that he plans to contact Orozco and other neighbors to work out a solution.

"If there's any kind of situation, we want to remedy it," Trahant said. "The way to resolve things like this is you sit down and you talk to the community."

The city attorney's staff report should help make clear what powers the city has to control residential treatment facilities. Because much of their business is regulated by the state, municipalities are often unsure what recourse they have to enforce zoning and noise ordinances and occupancy limits.

The peninsula rehabilitation house is part of a national chain of Narcanon drug and alcohol treatment centers founded by a former prison inmate who based the program on principles taught by Scientology founder and "Dianetics" author L. Ron Hubbard.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --JUNE CASAGRANDE covers Newport Beach and John Wayne Airport. She may be reached at (949) 574-4232 or by e-mail at june.casagrande@latimes.com.

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