SACRAMENTO, California — Sacramento City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood announced Monday she filed an appeal against the U.S. District Court's decision to extend a pause on the city's encampment sweeps because of 'excessive heat' conditions.
This is the second summer a U.S. District Court put a pause on encampment sweeps, and Wood said the order does "not hold up to scrutiny or common sense."
"The city also disputes that enforcing its laws and ordinances automatically exposes people to dangerous heat," she said.
City officials filed the appeal with the U.S. District Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
According to the Sacramento Homeless Union, encampment sweeps during extreme heat waves can cause people to fall ill if they're removed from shaded areas.
But Wood said Monday the U.S. District Court's decision is flawed partially because it does not take into account the cooler mornings and evenings.
"The city has a responsibility to all its residents, including those experiencing homelessness, to maintain safe and sanitary conditions in public places," she said. "This responsibility does not disappear during certain months,and the city should not be restricted from fulfilling its obligations every summer."
