SACRAMENTO, California — The pause on encampment sweeps for Sacramento was extended after a judge ruled the 'excessive heat' conditions call for it to remain in place until Aug. 31.
Excessive heat put a pause on the city's sweeps for a second year in a row though the U.S. District Court.
The complaint was first filed as a lawsuit in 2022 by the Sacramento Homeless Union against Sacramento County and resulted in an almost two-month grace period.
"The Court previously concluded that the City's interest in clearing encampments during extreme heat is far outweighed by Plaintiffs' interest in the health and welfare of unhoused individuals," said Eastern District of California Judge Troy L. Nunley in court documents.
Sacramento Homeless Union advocates initially asked to stop sweeps until mid-September before Nunley extended his previous ruling through Aug. 31.
"Plaintiffs have presented sufficient evidence, at this stage, to demonstrate the City’s clearing of encampments constitutes 'affirmative conduct' that places unhoused individuals at an increased risk of the 'known and obvious danger' of exposure to extreme heat," Nunley said in the court documents.
