What we found
Among the 484 California residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs) tracked in StarlynnCare’s database, 63 — one in every eight — have been cited by state inspectors for the exact same California Code of Regulations Title 22 violation in three or more separate inspection visits. The data covers CDSS inspection records from May 2019 through May 2026.
The most-repeated violation is §87303(a) — “general facility maintenance.” This regulation requires that a facility be “clean, safe, sanitary and in good repair at all times” — covering physical plant condition, equipment maintenance, and overall cleanliness. It appeared in repeat-citation patterns at more than a dozen facilities in the dataset.
Other frequently-repeated violations involve staffing levels and competency (§87411(a)), safe storage of hazardous items (§87309(a)), and incidental medical and dental care requirements (§87465 series). Together, these patterns suggest that for some facilities, certain compliance failures are structural rather than isolated.
A “repeat citation” in this analysis means the same CCR Title 22 regulation code was cited by a CDSS licensing agent during 3 or more separate, distinct inspection visits at the same facility. It does not indicate whether violations were corrected between visits. These are historical regulatory records, not current facility conditions.
The five facility–regulation pairs with the most distinct inspection visits citing the same rule:
- 10×Opal Care LLC (Oakland) — §87468.2(a)(4): personal rights — privacy
- 9×Oakland Heights Senior Living (Oakland) — §87303(a): general facility maintenance
- 8×Whitten Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care (La Habra) — §87303(a): general facility maintenance
- 7×Opal Care LLC (Oakland) — §87411(a): staffing levels and competency
- 6×Roundhill Care Homes, Inc. (Alamo) — §87309(a): safe storage — hazardous items
Repeat-citation facilities — top 20
Facility + regulation pairs cited in 3 or more distinct inspection visits. Sorted by visit count, then maximum severity. Click a facility name to view its full inspection history.
| Facility | City | Regulation | Visits | Last cited |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opal Care LLC | Oakland | §87468.2(a)(4)Personal rights — privacy | 10 | 2026-04-23Sev 3 |
| Oakland Heights Senior Living | Oakland | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 9 | 2024-11-08Sev 3 |
| Whitten Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care | La Habra | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 8 | 2026-04-21Sev 3 |
| Opal Care LLC | Oakland | §87411(a)Staffing levels and competency | 7 | 2025-04-02Sev 3 |
| Roundhill Care Homes, Inc. | Alamo | §87309(a)Safe storage — hazardous items | 6 | 2026-03-23Sev 3 |
| Regency Palms Long Beach | Long Beach | §87465(a)(4)Medical/dental care plan | 6 | 2025-10-24Sev 3 |
| Brittany House | Long Beach | §87211(a)(1)Serious incident reporting | 6 | 2026-01-21Sev 2 |
| Roundhill Care Homes, Inc. | Alamo | §87555(b)(8)Food service quality and safety | 6 | 2026-03-23Sev 2 |
| Eskaton Gold River Lodge | Gold River | §87465(a)(1)Medical care arrangement | 5 | 2024-09-17Sev 4 |
| Astoria Park Senior Living | Pasadena | §87411(a)Staffing levels and competency | 5 | 2026-05-04Sev 4 |
| Ivy Park at Hayward | Hayward | §87309(a)Safe storage — hazardous items | 5 | 2025-10-30Sev 4 |
| Belmont Village Aliso Viejo | Aliso Viejo | §87464(f)(1)Basic care and supervision services | 5 | 2026-05-08Sev 3 |
| La Posada | Whittier | §87465(c)(2)Medication self-administration | 5 | 2024-11-15Sev 3 |
| Whitten Heights Assisted Living and Memory Care | La Habra | §87468.1(a)(2)Resident personal rights — safe accommodations | 5 | 2025-08-18Sev 3 |
| Brittany House | Long Beach | §87468.1(a)(2)Resident personal rights — safe accommodations | 5 | 2026-02-23Sev 3 |
| Beach Terrace Assisted Living and Memory Care | Stanton | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 5 | 2025-06-03Sev 3 |
| Opal Care LLC | Oakland | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 5 | 2025-09-24Sev 2 |
| Montgomery Springs Manor | Hayward | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 5 | 2026-03-24Sev 2 |
| Avenir Memory Care Westside | Los Angeles | §87303(a)General facility maintenance | 4 | 2025-07-31Sev 4 |
| Aegis Living Corte Madera | Corte Madera | §87465(a)(5)Medication assistance | 4 | 2025-09-18Sev 3 |
Source: CDSS inspection records in StarlynnCare database (queried 2026-05-11). “Visits” = distinct inspection visits in which this regulation was cited. Severity: 1 = minor, 2 = moderate, 3 = serious, 4 = immediate jeopardy.
Citation rates over time, 2021–2025
The deficiency rate across CA RCFEs in this dataset rose 132% between 2021 and 2024 — from 0.33 citations per inspection in 2021 to 0.77 in 2024. That rise should be read carefully: 2020 and 2021 saw severely reduced inspection activity across California due to COVID-era restrictions, suppressing the baseline. The post-COVID period represents a resumption of normal inspection frequency, not necessarily a sudden worsening of conditions.
That said, the upward trend through 2024 — even accounting for the COVID-ramp dynamic — raises the question of whether reduced inspection cadence during 2020–2021 may have allowed conditions to deteriorate before regulators returned. The 2025 figure (0.58 through May) suggests possible moderation, but the year is incomplete.
Deficiencies per inspection, by year. 2020 omitted (1 inspection — COVID shutdown). 2025 = January – May only. Source: CDSS records in StarlynnCare database.
Additional FindingChain operator scorecard
Among operators with three or more facilities and at least 50 licensed beds in our dataset, citation rates vary significantly — though the small number of qualifying chains limits broad conclusions.
Three operator groups meet this threshold. Their Weighted Citation Scores (WCS)are computed from CDSS inspection records for the last three years (May 2023 – May 2026). The WCS for a chain is the average of each facility’s per-bed, severity-weighted deficiency sum. Severity weights: 1 (minor) = 1, 2 (moderate) = 2, 3 (serious) = 3, 4 (immediate jeopardy) = 5. Lower score = fewer and less severe citations per licensed bed.
Operator names reflect CDSS licensing records and may not capture all corporate affiliations. Oakmont Senior Living operates under multiple legal entities in CDSS records; those entities have been combined into a single row. Only operators with ≥3 CA facilities and ≥50 total licensed beds in our dataset are included.
| Operator | Facilities | Total Beds | Inspections | Deficiencies | WCS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aegis Senior Communities | 4 | 362 | 55 | 19 | 0.243 |
| Oakmont Senior Living (multiple entities)† | 15 | 1,688 | 109 | 19 | 0.089 |
| Front Porch Communities and Services | 3 | 1,254 | 33 | 3 | 0.030 |
WCS = Weighted Citation Score (lower = fewer/less-severe citations per licensed bed). Last 3 years. † Oakmont Senior Living operates under multiple legal entities in CDSS records; rows combined for readability. Source: CDSS records in StarlynnCare database (queried 2026-05-13).
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