August 16, 2025 #1 Local News, Information and Event Source for the Century City/Westwood areas.

Malibu sues to get State to revoke license of massive rehab facility operating in residential neighborhood

The City has complained to the state for years that Passages Malibu does not comply with the lawful license scheme and therefore should be licensed as an “integrated facility,” which is not permitted in a residential zone.(Thinkstock)
The City has complained to the state for years that Passages Malibu does not comply with the lawful license scheme and therefore should be licensed as an “integrated facility,” which is not permitted in a residential zone. (Thinkstock)

The City of Malibu has filed a lawsuit against the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and its Director Jennifer Kent seeking the revocation of eight licenses for alcohol and drug rehab facilities that have been issued to various entities that function together as Passages Malibu, on Meadows Court in western Malibu.

Under California law, licensed non-medical drug and alcohol residential rehab facilities that serve six or fewer patients may operate in a single-family home. The City has complained to the state for years that Passages Malibu does not comply with this license scheme and therefore should be licensed as an “integrated facility,” which is not permitted in a residential zone.

“Suing the state is about the last thing we wanted to do,” said Mayor John Sibert. “But after numerous meetings and letters and assurances, we find ourselves in the same position: Passages Malibu is operating a small hospital facility smack in the middle of a residential zone and the state licensing agency is turning a blind eye to it.”

In the complaint filed on February 23, City Attorney Christi Hogin used Passages Malibu’s own promotional materials to make the City’s case:

Passages Malibu describes itself as the “number one rehab in the world” whose “flagship drug and alcohol treatment center is in Malibu, California on a 10-acre property that features a breathtaking Pacific Ocean view, tranquil setting, and palatial estates that house [its] residential and treatment facilities.” Passages Malibu clients are “assigned” a “ten-person team of therapists and doctors,” including “psychologists, family therapists, trainers, acupuncturists, hypnotherapists, spiritual counselors and many others.”

Yet, despite Passages Malibu’s promotion of its operations in the City of Malibu as a comprehensive, sprawling, singular rehab center, and despite evidence supporting that characterization, the California Department of Health Care Services has outright refused to regulate Passages as a consolidated facility or apply the license requirements for the 10-acre, eight unit facility. Instead, on the basis of shell LLCs and self-created unofficial street addresses, the Department issued eight separate licenses, authorizing eight separate programs each in a single-family home serving fewer than seven residents. Passages Malibu, by its own admission and advertisements, operates one integral facility.

By this lawsuit, the City of Malibu seeks to compel the Department to perform its statutory duty pursuant to Health & Safety Code §11834.01 to license Passages Malibu as an integral adult alcoholism or drug abuse recovery or treatment facility in accordance with state law.

The lawsuit follows the City’s disappointment last month when the state announced that after its tour of the Passages Malibu facility, the state regulators were satisfied that there were, in fact, eight separate rehab programs, each operating under a single family residential program license.

To see the DHCS reports on the Passages facilities, visit http://www.malibucity.org/DocumentCenter/View/11387 and http://www.malibucity.org/DocumentCenter/View/11388.

Related Posts

ICE Raids Rattle Westside Businesses Amid Reports of Arrests, Ambush Tactics

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

Masked Men Targeted Car Washes, Home Depots: 30 People Missing ICE and Border Patrol raids on Los Angeles’ Westside this...

Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream Debuts  All-Black Ice Cream in Collaboration With Artist Cj Hendry

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

Limited-Edition Flavor Opaque and All Black Cones Launch on Aug. 14 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is stripping away the usual...

405 Freeway Closure Rescheduled: Sepulveda Pass to Shrink to Three Lanes August 22–25

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

Extended 405 Closure to Snarl Traffic Through Sepulveda Pass  The major closure of the 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass...

Concert in the Courtyard: Israeli Band The Peatot Brings High-Energy Sound to Adat Shalom Synagogue

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

Event in Westwood Will Feature Live Music, Food, and Family-Friendly Community Celebration Adat Shalom Synagogue will host a summer evening...

Sweet Wheat Bakery & Bistro Opens in Downtown Culver City August 18

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

French Brothers Open Bakery with Authentic Parisian Pasteries A new bakery and bistro from two French-born brothers is set to...

Sidecar & Van Leeuwen Unite for One-Night-Only Doughnuts à la Mode

August 14, 2025

August 14, 2025

Limited-Time Collab Pairs Iconic Doughnuts With Artisanal Scoops Sidecar Doughnuts, the purveyors of some of Los Angeles’ best doughnuts, is...

Mr. Charlie’s Brings Plant-Based Fast Food to 26th Street With Grand Opening Giveaway

August 13, 2025

August 13, 2025

Plant-Based Favorite Opens Brentwood Adjacent Spot With Opening Day Perks Mr. Charlie’s, the fast-growing plant-based fast-food chain known for its...

Bánh Mì Pop-Up Returns: Chef Tra An Serves Pork & Mushroom Versions After Months-Long Hiatus

August 13, 2025

August 13, 2025

Following Four Sold-Out Events, Pre-Orders are Live for The Next Delicious Pop-Up Private chef Tra An, celebrated for making what...

Ex-LAPD Officer Among Four Charged in Kidnapping and Violent Home Invasion Robbery

August 13, 2025

August 13, 2025

Prosecutors Say the Suspects Handcuffed Victims, Stole Cash, and Cryptocurrency Felony charges were filed against a former Los Angeles police...

Beverly Hills Senior Scammed Out of $59K; Richmond Man Charged in Fraud Scheme

August 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

Suspect Posed as a Bank Employee and Federal Agent, Collecting Cash Twice  Multiple charges have been leveled at a Richmond,...

Rare Chinese Manuscripts Stolen From UCLA Library, Suspect Stayed at Brentwood Hotel

August 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

Suspect Swapped Originals for Fakes and Stored Evidence at Hotel Angeleno. Federal prosecutors have charged a Fremont, Calif., man with...

LAUSD Responds to Immigration Raids With Expanded Campus Safety Measures for New School Year

August 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

Superintendent Condemns Federal Agents’ Actions, Announces Safe-Passage Programs  Responding to heightened concerns about federal immigration activity near campuses, the Los...

(Video) Jennifer Levi, mother of Braun Levi, speaks at the Live Like Braun Memorial Tennis Tournament on His Birthday

August 12, 2025

August 12, 2025

After Braun was killed by a drunk driver, the Levis founded the Live Like Braun Foundation in his memory. The...

American Film Market 2025 Draws Global Exhibitors Ahead of Los Angeles Return

August 11, 2025

August 11, 2025

46th Edition Promises Robust Dealmaking, Screenings, and Industry Networking The American Film Market will stage its 46th edition Nov. 11–16,...

Two Hospitalized After Fourth-Floor Apartment Fire in Pico-Robertson

August 11, 2025

August 11, 2025

44 Firefighters Contained the Blaze, Rescued a 94-Year-Old Woman Flames erupted from a fourth-floor balcony of a six-story residential building...