City Council restricts nighttime parking at popular Sacramento parks
Sacramento City Council voted Tuesday to restrict nighttime parking in certain areas of the city, including at two popular parks.
The council approved posting signs prohibiting parking from 11 p.m. to 5 p.m. along specific streets at McKinley Park, William Land Park and Winner’s Circle Park in North Sacramento.
The city will also post no parking anytime signs along Gateway Oaks Drive in Natomas.
Council members Caity Maple and Mai Vang voted against the moves.
What the items will do
The staff report said that nighttime parking will be prohibited along these streets near the parks:
- McKinley Park: On McKinley Boulevard, from Alhambra Boulevard to 33rd Street on the park side of the road; on the west side of 33rd Street from McKinley Boulevard to H Street; on the east side of 33rd Street from McKinley Boulevard to Park Way; and on Park Way, from 33rd Street to 35th Street.
- William Land Park: On 15th Avenue, from 18th Street to Land Park Drive. The interior park street runs between Fairytale Town and the WPA Rock Garden.
- Winner’s Park Circle: essentially on three sides of the small park, with parking barred alongside it at Erickson Street, Dixieanne Avenue and Evergreen Street.
“All three parks are closed to the public from dusk to dawn, however people routinely park in these areas after the parks are closed,” the staff report notes. The “restrictions and posting signage will clearly communicate prohibited hours, reinforce park closure times, and help keep these areas clear.”
Parking on Gateway Oaks Drive is already prohibited. A staff report noted that its curb was painted red, but that “vehicles continually violate the parking restrictions. Posting these locations with ‘No Parking’ signage will make it clear to drivers that they are not allowed to park and will help attempt to keep the locations clear.”
The signage will be posted on both sides of Gateway Oaks Drive between West El Camino Boulevard and Weald Way, with a total estimated cost for the project of $3,713.
Why Maple voted no
In a phone interview Thursday, Maple said she tended to oppose one-off homelessness items.
“We do a really good job in the city and beyond of telling people where they can’t be, and we do not do a good job of telling people where they can be,” said Maple, who has acknowledged experiencing homelessness when she was younger.
The council banned sleeping at City Hall with a 6-3 vote last year. Maple was one of three council members, along with Vang and Lisa Kaplan, to vote against the measure.
Vang didn’t immediately respond to an interview request on Thursday morning.
One person who spoke during public comment, AJ Albano, an organizer with the Sacramento Ticket Defense Clinic also voiced his opposition to the moves.
“You are continuing to criminalize unhoused people for being unhoused,” Albano said.
Ishani Desai contributed to this story.
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 2:37 PM.
