SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. — Sacramento County Supervisors said they need a more concrete enforcement plan, among other things, before considering a ban on encampments of unhoused people in some areas.
"You're not going to stop just because the court says so," Board Chair Don Nottoli said Tuesday during a Board of Supervisors meeting. "Being unhoused is not even in of itself something of a criminal nature."
The Office of Homeless Initiatives opened up a discussion with county supervisors about a proposed ordinance to outlaw camping in four areas around public and private property:
- Critical infrastructure
- Locations providing temporary shelter to unhoused residents
- Wildfire risk areas, during a severe weather alert or emergency
- Flood risk areas during a severe weather alert or emergency
"There’s more people suffering on our streets. The camps have spread in parts of the community that don’t have services and capacity available," said Emily Halcon, director of Homeless Initiatives for Sacramento County.
Residents caught violating the Sacramento County ordinance could face a first-time warning, then a misdemeanor charge if they violate the ordinance again within 30 days, according to the proposed ordinance.
Volunteer groups who care about and clean the waterways also have a stake in the debate. David Ingram, of Sacramento Picks It Up, said he would support some type of regulation that restricts camping and littering along the waterways.
"There’s bags of rotting food. It’s not a great place to be," Ingram said.
However, county officials said enforcing criminal penalties on unlawful encampments means they need enough housing to serve unhoused residents who would be affected by the ordinance.
They decided to continue the discussion surrounding the proposed ordinance on July 13.
At the start of the pandemic, county public health officials issued a health order barring encampment sweeps to counter potential spread of COVID-19.
Pandemic-era restrictions appear to be loosening across the board, however, and officials from nearby cities like Elk Grove have passed their own anti-camping ordinances similar to the one facing Sacramento County supervisors.
Supporters of the ordinance said public health and safety would benefit with the removal of encampments that were deemed unlawful, but detractors said the proposal frames homelessness as a crime.
"I just can’t believe it’s happening right now," said Dan Aderholt, with the American River Homeless Crew. "I thought we were making progress. Everybody is helping everybody; it was a beautiful thing."
Aderholt called the proposed ordinance anti-homeless. However, criticism that it would be akin to criminalizing homelessness was met with pushback from some county supervisors.
"I respectfully disagree with those that would characterize it as 'criminalizing the homeless'— that's a phrase that gets used a lot but rings hollow for me," District 1 Supervisor Phil Serna said Tuesday.
District 3 Supervisor Rich Desmond described Tuesday's meeting as the start of a conversation surrounding the anti-camping ordinance.
According to county officials, current efforts by the county to clear encampments on public property usually rely on unhoused residents voluntarily cooperating with requests from the sheriff’s office or other staff to move.
The next step in enforcement involves issuing a "no trespassing" citation that can result in a misdemeanor.
