After State Investigation, City of Costa Mesa Agrees to Allow Sober Living Home to Remain Open
SACRAMENTO – The California Civil Rights Department (CRD) today announced a settlement with the City of Costa Mesa to resolve a disability discrimination complaint filed by Ohio House, a sober living home, and several of its residents. As part of the voluntary settlement, the city has agreed to grant a reasonable accommodation to its zoning requirements to enable the facility to remain open and continue to provide housing to residents with disabilities.
“This settlement is a major victory for the rights of people with disabilities,” said CRD Director Kevin Kish. “By coming to the bargaining table, the City of Costa Mesa is helping keep dozens of residents housed in a setting where they can live safely, independently, and with community support. California law requires local governments to support housing opportunities for people with disabilities. Group homes are an important part of making that happen.”
Zoned Out of Existence
In 2025, CRD received a complaint against the City of Costa Mesa alleging that the city unlawfully denied a reasonable accommodation request to allow exceptions to the city’s land use and zoning requirements. According to the complaint, the city retroactively applied a requirement to Ohio House that there be a 650-foot separation between group or sober living homes. Ohio House is reportedly located 550 feet away from another facility that received a permit from the city to remain in operation. Ohio House houses dozens of people in recovery and enables residents with disabilities to live independently in a residential neighborhood setting. The complaint further notes that, without the reasonable accommodation, Ohio House is in imminent danger of closure, threatening to displace residents with disabilities.
Fair Housing Not Optional
Under California law, local governments have an obligation to affirmatively further fair housing and support housing opportunities for people with disabilities. In other words, local governments are required to take steps to help ensure fair access to housing for all residents. These antidiscrimination protections extend to group homes serving people with disabilities and place limits on the application of restrictive zoning policies. Group homes are homes where unrelated people with disabilities live together and receive peer and other disability-related support, while sharing spaces like kitchens and living areas and participating in daily communal life. Group homes help their residents live in deinstitutionalized settings and integrate into local communities.
Voluntary Remedy
After conducting an initial investigation, CRD provided the City of Costa Mesa and Ohio House an opportunity to voluntarily resolve the allegations through mediation. As a result of the settlement, the city, without admitting wrongdoing, will:
- Grant Ohio House an exception to the city’s land use and zoning requirements as a reasonable accommodation, allowing the facility to remain open.
- Engage with CRD attorneys to consider potential revisions to the city’s zoning codes and regulations regarding group homes and the reasonable accommodation process.
- Review issues specified in technical assistance provided by the California Department of Housing and Community Development in consultation with CRD attorneys.
- Report on compliance with the terms of the settlement to CRD.
If you or someone you know has experienced housing discrimination, CRD may be able to assist you through its complaint process. The department also provides general information and factsheets online about civil rights protections, including on reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.
The settlement announced today was mediated by Senior Attorney Mediator Yu-Yee Wu. The matter was also supported by Associate Chief Counsel Jacy Gaige and Assistant Chief Counsel James Zahradka.
You can learn more by reading the settlement.
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