State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares introduced SB 1060 on Friday, a bill requiring large residential alcohol and drug treatment centers to be at least 1,000 feet from public and private schools and daycare centers. The legislation sets a statewide minimum for facilities housing more than six residents with on-site treatment services and responds to a controversial San Bernardino County plan in Victorville, where local officials and students are concerned about the proximity of a proposed treatment campus to nearby schools.
In a press release from Senator Valladares' office, Valladares framed SB 1060 as an attempt to “strike a balance” between expanding access to addiction treatment and protecting children. The release reiterates that the measure targets facilities with more than six residents that provide on-site services, and notes the bill is expected to get its first hearing in a policy committee later this legislative session.
Victorville Expansion Prompted The Measure
The legislation follows a wave of local backlash to San Bernardino County’s planned expansion at 13333 Palmdale Road, where critics say a new Comprehensive Treatment Campus would sit next to three active school sites. As reported by Victor Valley News, both the Victor Valley Union High School District and the City of Victorville passed formal resolutions opposing the project, arguing they were not meaningfully consulted before the county moved ahead. The City of Victorville also issued a bulletin solidifying its opposition and urging county leaders to look at alternative sites.
County Plans, Local Pushback
County planning and environmental documents describe a roughly 29.47 acre overhaul of the former St. John of God campus at Palmdale Road and Cobalt Road into a full-scale Comprehensive Treatment Campus, with new residential treatment buildings, parking areas and support facilities, according to state records on CEQAnet. Local coverage has highlighted student walkouts, tense city council meetings and a school board resolution warning that the expansion could increase traffic and service demands at schools across the street and down the block, as reporting by The HD Post shows.
What’s Next
If SB 1060 moves forward, it would create a uniform statewide rule for where large treatment facilities can be located, potentially forcing counties to revisit projects already on the drawing board and giving school districts clearer grounds to challenge proposals they see as too close for comfort. “Addiction treatment is necessary and so is taking reasonable steps to protect our children,” Valladares said in a statement released by Senator Valladares' office. She argues the 1,000 foot buffer provides clarity for communities while preserving access to care, since smaller residential facilities would not be covered by the requirement.
Funding And Local Outreach
San Bernardino County has been chasing state Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) funding for the project and has issued contractor requests for qualifications that spell out the planned buildout, according to notices posted on ConstructConnect. The county’s Department of Behavioral Health also hosted a community forum in December to walk residents through the proposal and planned mitigation steps, as detailed by San Bernardino County DBH.
City and school officials say they are not backing down, pledging to keep pressing for the campus to be relocated and for more robust community outreach as SB 1060 winds through the Capitol. The upcoming committee hearings will give lawmakers their first formal chance to referee those competing priorities, while San Bernardino County faces growing scrutiny from both local residents and state decision-makers.
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