Sacramento mayor’s plan to bar homeless from sleeping at City Hall draws criticism
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Sacramento mayor proposes ordinance banning sleeping on City Hall property.
- Critics cite criminalization, loss of safe sleeping area and lack of data.
- City Council approved measure 6-3; final vote scheduled for July 22.
Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty’s plan to stop homeless people from sleeping outside City Hall drew criticism Tuesday afternoon from advocates, residents and council members.
His proposal, unveiled last week, seeks to prohibit people from sitting or lying down on the ground outside City Hall except in limited circumstances. This would amend a city policy made six years ago which has allowed people to sleep on the property overnight but not during the day.
McCarty has described the proposal as a “common sense” approach consistent with other policies and would allow the city to reallocate money to other homeless resources.
While Tuesday’s City Council meeting only featured a procedural vote of the proposal, residents and council members raised concerns about the criminalization of homeless people and one less safe location to sleep.
In 2019, the council approved changing the city charter to allow people to sleep overnight at City Hall, but prohibited sitting or lying down on the ground from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday. The amended ordinance would eliminate the nighttime exemption, meaning people could be subject to a misdemeanor and civil penalties ranging from $250 to $25,000, according to the city charter.
“The proposal before you today is not based on evidence and is the monster of poor judgment,” said Ron Hochbaum, an associate professor and director of the homeless advocacy clinic at the University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.
Hochbaum was among the 16 public speakers who spoke on the item — all of them opposed the change.
“They are just people that need to have homes and need to have things that they need to have,” added 8-year-old Ruby Hutnick, who spoke to the council while holding her stuffed animal named Cocoa Bean. “They don’t want to live on the streets. They want to have shelter.”
Following a request by McCarty, the proposal passed unanimously at last week’s Law and Legislation Committee. Councilmember Caity Maple abstained from the vote. McCarty introduced the measure, saying it aligns with policies that do not allow urban camping outside of city, state or federal buildings.
The measure passed in front of the full council Tuesday 6-3, with Council members Lisa Kaplan, Mai Vang and Maple voting in opposition. They emphasized that the amended ordinance would remove a sleeping location with lighting, police presence and cameras.
“Everyone deserves a right to sleep somewhere safe, to shelter from the rain and heat,” Vang said.
The three council members also requested that staff return with more detailed information on potential safety concerns from city employees and cost of enforcement.
“There isn’t enough evidence in the background staff report for me to make an intelligent, educated and data-driven decision that we’re addressing the issue that’s being put in front of us,” Kaplan said.
At the committee meeting last week, Interim City Manager Leyne Milstein said incidents of criminal activity have affected city staff on the property, though she could not provide an exact number when asked. Milstein estimated that the roughly $353,000 spent per year on clean-up and response at City Hall would be reallocated to other locations.
“I’d rather use that $353,000 to buy 30 tiny homes,” McCarty told The Sacramento Bee on Tuesday.
Before the meeting, a group of about a dozen homeless people and advocates gathered outside City Hall to rally against the proposed change.
Among the group was Robert Cantu, a 40-year-old homeless man native to Sacramento. Cantu said he has slept outside City Hall since returning to town two weeks ago. He came for a job as a mechanic and hopes to soon save up money to secure his own housing.
Cantu described the location as a “sanctuary” that offers a safe place for him to sleep unbothered.
“I don’t need anything extra if you just give me somewhere that I can exist,” Cantu said. “That’s all I need right now.”
The City Council will convene from a final vote on the proposal at its July 22 meeting.
This story was originally published July 2, 2025 at 6:00 AM.
