Council to privately discuss potential suit

Newport Beach City Council members will meet privately with attorneys Tuesday to discuss threats of lawsuits stemming from a proposed ordinance to curb the spread of rehabilitation homes in the city.

The rehab home activist group Concerned Citizens of Newport Beach has said it will proceed with plans to sue the city if it does not strengthen proposed restrictions on rehab homes.

The activists said the proposed rules aren’t strict enough on rehab homes and that there is an over-concentration of rehab homes on Balboa Peninsula.

John Peloquin, vice president of operations for CRC Health Group, which owns the rehabilitation center Sober Living by the Sea, said the proposed ordinance is “discriminatory” and the company would fight to protect its interests in Newport Beach.

City Council members will field public comments on the ordinance during the regular meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday. A vote on the new rules is expected in January.

— Brianna Bailey