West Hollywood, California (July 1, 2010) - Despite fierce neighborhood opposition and a bureaucratic SNAFU that created hopeful rumors that rapidly made their way around its Norma Triangle neighborhood, KLEAN Sober Living facility will be granted a license to operate as a drug and alcohol treatment center, likely within ten days, say sources.

KLEAN Sober Living facility will be granted a license to operate as a drug and alcohol treatment center, likely within ten days, say sources. Photo by WeHo News.

Not only that, KLEAN Pasadena, an already fully licensed, 38-bed drug and alcohol rehabilitation and treatment center, opens today in partnership with Aurora Las Encinas, a private psychiatric hospital that offers a full range of behavioral healthcare treatment. “It’s a very exciting week for us,” said KLEAN founder Andrew Spanswick. KLEAN West Hollywood inhabits 840-854 ½ Hilldale, one block above the Boystown sweet spot making up half of the downsized the gay-oriented San Vicente Inn B&B, around the corner from Rage, a busy gay nightclub. The drug and alcohol treatment center will operate its 27-bed residential unit on Hilldale as well as an outpatient clinic near La Cienega and Santa Monica Boulevard. KLEAN caters to a clientele that can afford to pay $28,000 per month (excluding doctors’ bills) to get clean – mostly alcohol with everything from gambling to sex to narcotics addictions being treated there. Only business leaders, sports figures, entertainers and the wealthy can afford the services, but KLEAN and its doctors already have associations with many Fortune 500 CEOs and contracts with both Major League Basketball and Soccer players unions, as well as a large assortment of entertainers.

“It’s a very exciting week for us,” said KLEAN founder Andrew Spanswick. Photo by WeHo News.

Mr. Spanswick, the founder, previously operated Wonderland, the residential rehabilitation in Laurel Canyon just above the Creative City. Neighbors expressed displeasure and concern that a rehabilitation facility in their midst would catalyze increased drug activity in an already put-upon neighborhood and de-value their million-dollar homes. KLEAN West Hollywood’s Hilldale facility, opened as a sober living house while awaiting state licensing in October, 2009, faced stiff opposition from its new Norma Triangle neighbors when they learned of it. Judson Greene, a merchant who lives a block or so away told WeHo News in December, 2009, that he felt the city betrayed them by not making them aware of its presence. “The bottom line for me, and I believe I speak for my neighbors,” said Mr. Greene, “is that the process failed us. Our zoning regulations failed us… and we are enormously disappointed in all who participated in this fiasco." His neighbor Norma Sanders, expressed fear for her personal safety.

Judson Greene and Norma Sandler, two of the more vocal Norma Triangle neighborhood opponents of KLEAN. Photo by WeHo News.

In an essay she wrote in December entitled Norma Triangle Resident Asks Pointed Questions, she writes, “Will the owner/city of West Hollywood/federal, be responsible if any of the clients hurts or kills anyone in the neighborhood? Can we have a guarantee in writing?” The neighbors’ concerns made their way to the city’s ears, upon which time the city sent a letter to the State ADP demanding the KLEAN license be denied due to a city accusations KLEAN had jumped the gun and had already begun operating as a drug and alcohol treatment center instead of as a sober living facility, as the law allowed. Additionally, the city charged that KLEAN planned to operate outside the state law governing such facilities by utilizing too many beds per residence. The State ADP investigator apparently took the information in that letter, went to www.KLEANTREATMENTCENTER.com to find the site offering pre-registration for drug and alcohol treatment services, and denied the application in late-May without making a customary on-site visitation. Realizing his over eagerness had tripped him up, Mr. Spanswick said he turned to Clein & Duplissea in Sacramento, a law firm that specializes in State ADP applications. Bill Duplissea told WeHo News that once the ADP realized they had inadvertently accepted the combination of the city’s false accusations with a cursory glance at the web site as proof of KLEAN’s illegal operation, they worked to rescind the denial, or “discontinuation of the process,’ as Mr. Duplissea said the state bureaucrats put it.

ADP realized they had inadvertently accepted the combination of the city’s false accusations with a cursory glance at the web site as proof of KLEAN’s illegal operation, so they worked to rescind the denial. WeHo News.

Because the denial and appeal had delayed KLEAN’s opening, Mr. Duplissea said ADP’s legal team was hastily working to “refine the rules and conditions,” under which KLEAN can begin to operate. “Once [Mr. Spanswick] agrees to those conditions,” he said (adding that none should be deal breakers), “KLEAN should have the formal issuance of license by the middle to end of next week (July 7-9).” While KLEAN may get a clean bill of health from the state, West Hollywood City Attorney Mike Jenkins told WeHo News that, from its point of view, the zoning and legal issues facing the city stand outside the state’s interest or purview. Saying that several lines of legal reasoning presented themselves to council, “I can’t say which line of reasoning the city would employ to move in that direction, but you are correct that the city’s various issues [and the theories on how to use local zoning code being put together by the city] are unrelated to whether they are licensed by the state or not.” “The city council will decide what to do next, mostly likely at the meeting on the July 19 [in closed session],” he said, “to determine which direction to move.” The city contends in a letter sent to KLEAN and given to WeHo News that its Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) governs the 11 residential units used by KLEAN, and therefore its operation as a drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility is inconsistent with all aspects of that law.

KLEAN will manage a 24/7 residential treatment center in the historic Gables bungalow and the adjacent Nash property at Pasadena’s Las Encinas Hospital. WeHo News.

Additionally, the city believes that the number of patients KLEAN proposes to house exceeds limits set by municipal ordinance, compelling the business to apply for a Conditional Use Permit, something traditionally superseded by state and federal protections for the disabled. (for more see WeHo tells KLEAN “cease & desist”). Meanwhile, across the mountains in Pasadena and effective today, July 1, 2010, KLEAN Pasadena will operate 38 dual diagnosis residential treatment beds at Aurora Las Encinas Hospital. The two entities are collaborating to serve patients with co-occurring disorders, suffering from drug and/or alcohol dependence who also have psychiatric treatment needs. Under the partnership, KLEAN will manage a 24/7 residential treatment center in the historic Gables bungalow and the adjacent Nash property. KLEAN physicians will have admitting privileges at Las Encinas Hospital. Las Encinas will provide access when needed to additional hospital treatment tracks. “Las Encinas staff and physician partners are excited to welcome KLEAN as a partner,” said Jerry Conway Las Encinas Hospital’s CEO. “KLEAN has an outstanding reputation for focusing on appropriate management, both medically and psychologically, and we believe KLEAN’s involvement as a partner at the hospital will strengthen our ability to continue to provide high quality patient care,” added Mr. Conway.

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