Assemblymember Diane Dixon, a Republican from Newport Beach, presented Assembly Bill 1356 to the Assembly Health Committee on April 22, 2025, where it received unanimous support. The bill now advances in the legislative process.
Currently, the California Department of Health Care Services must investigate and report on resident deaths within drug and alcohol recovery facilities. However, there is no obligation for facilities to provide follow-up reports post-incident.
AB 1356 proposes that facilities offering drug and alcohol programs submit additional relevant information within 60 days after the initial incident. Moreover, if deficiencies are found in the facility’s response, they must submit a report detailing corrective actions taken in response to Department communications.
Assemblymember Dixon remarked, “Many facilities are not providing full details on their report of incidents.” She emphasized the bill as a “common-sense solution to strengthen DHCS’s death investigation” and to enhance resident safety and treatment in these facilities.
For Breana Zweben, a bill proponent who testified during the hearing, the legislation is deeply personal. Her boyfriend, John Mclister, died at Asana Recovery on April 3, 2021, in what Dr. Mario San Bartolome, an expert witness, described as a preventable incident. Zweben stated, “John walked into Asana Recovery with one simple goal – to get through withdrawals safely. The system failed him, and AB 1356 would help prevent such failures from claiming more lives.”
The next step for AB 1356 is a hearing in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
