Item 13 - OC Grand Jury's Investigative Report, Findings, and Recommendations Regarding Group Homes and the Orange County Animal Care Shelter

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WELCOME TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD The Planning Commission was seemingly prepared to accept the staff recommendation for approval. Public comment took over five hours, most of which was overwhelmingly against the approval of the group home. The applicant and the Planning Commission both expressed surprise at the public backlash. Ultimately, the approval recommendation was scrapped, and the Planning Commission voted to deny the CUP. Grandma's House filed an appeal and the application for the CUP was heard by the City -. Council. The public attended that meeting in larger numbers than at the Planning _ Commission meeting .and they were every bit as angry and frustrated as they were at the earlier meeting.In spite of robust response on the issue at the meeting of the Planning Commission just two months earlier, the Anaheim City Council was unprepared for the charged nature of the adversarial clash. Most speakers were passionate but respectful, while some were rude and offensive. It was essentially an angrier :repeat -of the first meeting and led to the same conclusion, a denial of the CUP.27 ----- = - The affected public walked away with no better understanding of the reasons why these group homes are hard --to regulate due to the pressures put on cities by the State of California. The applicant ultimately filed suit against the city alleging violations of the Housing Element Law, Housing Accountability Act, and statutes governing anti- discrimination in local land use laws. iveany zuu people .packed the Mission Viejo City Council chamber on March 29 for a Town Hall meeting regarding sober.livirig. homes. (Tomoya Shimura, Orange County Register, April 1, 2016) The City of Anaheim_ has not _responded to the public concerns in an organized manner. - It has not provided an opportunity for the public to come together in a townhall-like meeting where the -City could address the issues and the challenges they face, have subject matter experts .on hand for short presentations, and allow for comments and questions .28 ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY 2022 12023 Page 21 of.42