As Sacramento plans vote on new homeless agency, county leader blasts plan
For more than two decades, elected officials across Sacramento County have consider creating a government entity to address homelessness. A joint powers authority, could allow elected officials from each city and the county a place to gather and untangle the region’s most intractable issue.
Now, the Sacramento City Council is taking a step to create a joint powers authority, or JPA. The council on Tuesday is scheduled to vote on how a JPA could be structured and ask other cities if they would like to join. The council members in support of a JPA have said that the government agency would allow for the public to hold officials accountable in one place.
But the City Council’s efforts have one key detractor: Sacramento County Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez, who chairs the county’s most powerful elected body. The Board of Supervisors is moving forward separately with a different idea.
“I don’t think jurisdictions trust that the city of Sacramento is going to do the right thing,” Rodriguez said, referring to the city’s $66.2 million budget shortfall this year. “And part of it is because they’re … in a serious budget deficit.”
Sacramento County has voted to move forward with restructuring a separate entity, called the Continuum of Care, a federally designated body is responsible for allocating millions of dollars to address homelessness.
The Continuum of Care’s 30-member board — which includes local elected officials, homeless services providers and community members — allocates money for housing projects and collects data for homeless programs. Sacramento Steps Forward has been the lead agency since 2011.
The City Council will examine three options that would create a JPA with elected officials from Sacramento County, Elk Grove, Citrus Heights, Rancho Cordova and Folsom.
The JPA could either merge with the Continuum of Care or be separate. The timeline to establish a new structure could range from six months to three years, according to the staff presentation.
Rodriguez criticized the council coming “in at the 11th hour with the new plan,” despite the county’s work ongoing work regarding the Continuum of Care.
“The more layers of government you have, the more risk there is of abuse of funds,” Rodriguez said. She is not opposed to creating a JPA with local officials, but does not believe it should be merged with the Continuum of Care.
The City Council’s efforts also align with a bill introduced by state Sen. Angelique Ashby, who served 12 years on the capital city’s dais. Ashby’s legislation mandates creating a joint powers authority which includes the other cities — and has been supported by Council members Caity Maple, Karina Talamantes, Rick Jennings, Mai Vang and Lisa Kaplan.
Ashby has said she will drop her bill if the other city leaders fall in line with the City Council.
“The City of Sacramento is to be commended for their efforts,” she said in a statement, adding “if the city of Sacramento’s proposed plan results in that outcome, there would be no need for SB 802.”
Her bill has faced serious opposition — and she reportedly threatened to withhold state funds from Elk Grove, Rancho Cordova and Folsom if they oppose her legislation. Sacramento County’s legal counsel has suggested Ashby’s bill is illegal.
The respective spokespersons for cities of Folsom, Elk Grove and Rancho Cordova declined to The Sacramento Bee to take a position on the Sacramento City Council’s Tuesday presentation, due in part because the city of Sacramento has not yet approached them. A Citrus Heights spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Sacramento’s City Council faces another hurdle in its quest to solve homelessness: The Continuum of Care has opined it should remain a separate entity and not merge with a JPA.
“Clear statutory language that preserves the CoC’s federally assigned decision-making authority and structure would prevent governance conflict, protect federal funding streams, and minimize compliance exposure,” Joseph Smith, who serves on the Continuum of Care, wrote in a Feb. 27 letter to Ashby.
Councilmember Phil Pluckebaum said he’s not opposed to a JPA, but he does not know if a difference will be generated by creating another agency. He recommended carving out an option to sunset the JPA, which allows for the agency to die if it’s ineffective.
“If there is a way for us to be more efficient, then obviously we should look into that,” he said. “I have yet to be persuaded.”
