Indigenous land reclaim, shelter spending. Sacramento top stories for June 11

The Sacramento Bee covered a wide range of news on June 11, from a critical city audit to a major land return for a Northern California tribe.

Here is a quick digest of today’s top stories:

• A new city audit found “no strong link” between Sacramento’s $63.2 million in shelter spending and positive outcomes for homeless clients between July 2023 and June 2025. The audit reviewed 14 shelters that hosted 8,885 stays and identified gaps in how the city collects data and measures success.

• The Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria reclaimed 450 acres of ancestral land in Butte County after a seven-year process, marking one of the tribe’s largest land returns. The property sits within the Big Chico Creek watershed and contains archaeological sites connecting the Mechoopda people to the area for thousands of years.

• As a heat wave pushes Sacramento temperatures toward 102 degrees, energy experts say setting your thermostat to 78 degrees can help cut cooling costs. PG&E says every degree above 78 represents about 2% in savings, while SMUD estimates customers can save 5% to 10% for every two degrees they raise the temperature.