MALIBU—On Tuesday, July 7, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled to dismiss two of the four charges the city of Malibu filed against the Sycamore Canyon Neighborhood-based rehabilitation center, Passages Malibu.
Passages Malibu is a facility that mainly caters to the rich and the famous, although normal people are always welcome to stay; if they can afford it. Passges Malibu is one of the most expensive rehab facilites. This has caused a lot of strife with the locals, who are tired of the paprazzi and antics of the famous. They just want their neighborhood to return to the way it was before the facility was made. A lot of facilities are buying up local businesses in order to expand, which locals feel is taking away from the neighborhood.
The battle between the city of Malibu and Passages Malibu has been ongoing since 2006. This latest suit was filed in February 2015, when the Department of California Health Services investigated the center’s activities and found that it met all the requirements. The city disagreed with the decision and took the matter to court.
The main issue is that the center is comprised of a total eight buildings. The center has an individual license for each one of the buildings. The city of Malibu would like for the rehab center to reapply for one license that envelops each of the eight buildings under one facility.
The judge made this ruling because the claims against the facility wasn’t adequate enough to make a credible decision. The City has yet to decide whether or not they will appeal the decision made by the judge, since they have until October. The judge’s final decision is expected to be made final in mid-August. Due to the judge’s decision, the city cannot bar the facility from operating business.
