Sacramento council to vote on banning homeless camps from sidewalks, business entrances
The Sacramento City Council will Tuesday consider whether to bar homeless encampments from blocking sidewalks and building entrances.
The ordinance would allow the city to order people to move if they are blocking building entrances or if they are preventing a four-foot wide path on sidewalks. For the city’s smaller sidewalks, that would ban camps entirely.
The city would be required to offer an alternative location for people to go, unless the camp presents an “immediate threat to public health, safety and welfare,” according to a city staff report. The city would also be required to place the person’s belongings in storage.
People who violate the ordinance could be charged with civil fines of $250 to $25,000 per day. They could also be charged with a misdemeanor and face fines between $500 and $1,000. They could also face jail time up to six months, though it is “highly unlikely” a judge would order jail time, city spokesman Tim Swanson said.
Some community leaders are urging the council to approve the ordinance, especially as school is set to start soon. Some camps are blocking East Sacramento sidewalks where children walk to Sutter Middle School.
Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership said the ordinance, especially its misdemeanor provision, would help business owners whose entrances are blocked by homeless people, deterring customers. Some business owners encounter urine, feces and needle
“We need more tools for law enforcement to manage the bad behavior,” Ault said. “Having the ability to have these be misdemeanors would give law enforcement more tools for aggressive behavior and drug use.”
9,300 homeless in Sacramento
While the council will likely approve the ordinance, the misdemeanor provision could be controversial. Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela said the ordinance is a big improvement from an earlier version that went to a council committee, but that she will try to remove the misdemeanor provision of the ordinance. She’d prefer to make the penalty a less-serious infraction.
“If someone won’t move for an infraction, I don’t think escalating the offense will help,” Valenzuela said. “It will only make it harder to help that person down the road.”
Even if the council removes the misdemeanor provision, homeless activists are opposed to the ordinance. They are criticizing city and county leaders for recent actions to increase enforcement against camps without first opening enough shelters and housing for everyone.
About 9,300 people are homeless in Sacramento on any given night, a recent count found. The city funds about 1,100 shelter beds and spaces and the county funds 1,400. All are full on any given night.
“Recycling people from block to block does not end it nor does it make the complaints stop. All of Sacramento’s constituents deserve to be treated equally with dignity, respect and the compassion to end this crisis,” Sacramento Homeless Union President Crystal Sanchez said.
New anti-camping measures move forward
In addition to the sidewalk ordinance, the council placed a business-backed measure on the November city election ballot that would increase sweeps. The county Board of Supervisors is expected to give final approval to an ordinance this week that would prohibit camping on the entire American River Parkway.
The city is under a judge’s order barring it from clearing tent encampments at least through Thursday — the result of a homeless union federal lawsuit. The union plans to ask for the order to be extended, Sanchez said.
The sidewalk ordinance would go into effect at the end of September. If the judge extends the order, it’s unclear whether the city would still be able to enact the sidewalk ordinance.
The meeting will be held at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The public will be allowed in the council chambers, and it will also be livestreamed on the city’s website.
This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 5:25 AM.
