City cracks down on group homes

Andrew Glazer

COSTA MESA -- Armed with a new city ordinance, the city has cracked

down on eight group homes that are allegedly operating in conflict with

city codes.

According to city documents and statements by Mayor Gary Monahan, the

state has relocated six women inmates from a work furlough home in Mesa

North to another city; cited the owner of a “sober living home” on Orange

Avenue with misdemeanor charges for allegedly running the home in a

residential zone; and filed misdemeanor charges against Dr. Renee

Namaste, who owns a shelter for homeless people on Cork Lane, for

allegedly refusing an inspector access to the home.

Namaste could not be reached Wednesday for comment. And Robert Tameny,

the owner of the Orange Avenue home, declined to comment before first

consulting his attorney.

The Orange Avenue home, where 38 residents -- many who recently served

time in prison -- is next to St. Joachim Catholic Church.

“To me, it’s a scary thought that 38 ex-cons can be in this house

living next to a preschool,” Monahan said. “If the owner wants to sell

the home, no problem. But he refused to work with the city at all.”

Earlier this summer, Tameny verbally agreed with the city to close the

home by October, according to city documents. But he still hasn’t signed

an agreement with the city that would bind him to do so, the documents

said.

The city is scheduled to face Tameny in trial later this month.

At a City Council meeting last week, Michael Woolbright, the director

of the House of Sarah in Mesa North, pleaded for the city to allow his

state-contracted halfway house to remain open. He said the home, Orange

County’s only work furlough program exclusively for women, has helped its

residents re-integrate into society.

“We have to be consistent with our ordinance,” Monahan said.

Although police receive frequent calls about suspicions and noise

complaints at many of the city’s group homes, no major crimes stemming

from a home has been reported recently.

However, the council this spring passed the ordinance that makes it

illegal to operate a group home with more than six occupants in a

residential neighborhood.

Almost two years ago, the city -- after repeated complaints from

residents -- commissioned a study to count how many halfway houses, drug

and alcohol treatment centers, and nursing homes were located in Costa

Mesa.

The report found that more than 104 group homes were in the city. Of

those, 62 were reported to be drug and alcohol treatment centers, making

the concentration of such homes here to be more than four times the

county average.

The report also found that as many as 20 of the group homes operating

in residential neighborhoods had been violating city ordinances.

Most of the neighbors of the homeless shelter on Cork Lane said they

didn’t have specific complaints about the home. But four families on the

block said they would rather have a family living there.

“I guess she’s doing all right,” said Lee Fleener, 66, who lives three

doors away from Namaste’s shelter. “But I wish they were gone, of course.

It’s bad for the neighborhood.”