Mailbag: Costa Mesa is becoming the ‘rehab Riviera’

I am an Eastside Costa Mesa resident. Recently, I was at another neighborhood meeting with the city players regarding the proliferation of rehabilitation houses and businesses in Costa Mesa, and I came away with mixed feelings.

It seems that we have been reporting all these things for so many years, trying to educate residents and politicians about this lopsided abundance of rehabs, to no avail. We need to keep on it, attending council meetings and voting out a majority that has looked the other way for too long.

I think residents might need to file a class-action suit against the city for allowing our rights to be trampled. This has gone unchecked for so long that we are considered the “rehab Riviera.”

On my way to that meeting, on Church Street, I witnessed a typical event in my neighborhood: Police, fire and emergency medical technicians were responding to a guy who had apparently overdosed.

I spoke to one of his friends, also a rehabber, and asked what happened. He said the guy was upset that he had been turned out of a rehab house on that street because he was using again.

When rehab homes turn people out, for whatever reason, instead of sending them back to whatever city or state they are from, they just let them out on our streets. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why our Newport Boulevard motels, parks and streets are filled with addicts committing petty crimes.

Our decimated Police Department is trying to keep up. Yesterday I talked with a resident who said he witnesses parolees or rehabbers drinking alcohol in the alley. I see these “disabled” people skateboarding and biking all over the place and at the 24 Hour Fitness.

The city should limit the number of rehabs in proximity to each other and especially limit the number of parolees. Perhaps we need some public demonstrations.

Carrie Renfro

Costa Mesa

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Call it cannabis, not marijuana

Re. “Costa Mesa council declines to put medical marijuana law on ballot,” (Aug. 7):

Thank you for sharing this and using the beautiful image of the little girl who is benefiting from the most natural medication on the planet.

May I respectfully make a suggestion? Cannabis is the true and scientific name for this amazing plant. The terms marijuana, pot, weed and grass have negative connotations.

Perhaps if the media used the correct terms rather than slang, they could help educate people about the need for our nation to change the ridiculous laws against cannabis.

So many people are being helped without the harmful side effects that most pharmaceuticals induce. But after 70-plus years of convincing the general public that cannabis is a bad thing, every effort to bring people the correct information will be needed.

Robbin Lynn

Carlsbad