Aiming to curb homeless encampments, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors on Nov. 5 approved a county code amendment that bans public camping.
It also prohibits camping within 1,000 feet of a shelter that provides services to homeless people.
“Today, deputies from the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office East Division POP [Problem Oriented Policing] Team conducted cleanup of several unlawful encampments near Folsom Boulevard and Watt Avenue, in East Sacramento County,” the department wrote on X. “Their efforts resulted in the removal of over 5,000 pounds of garbage and debris.”
Of the 10 people deputies contacted at the camps, six were connected with help and given resource information. One was arrested on a felony warrant, according to the department.
The new law addresses the county’s duty to protect lives and infrastructure, and increases the county’s ability to supply emergency shelters, the statement said.
The lack of housing options for homeless people in Sacramento County has led to an increase in the number of encampments within the unincorporated area, according to the ordinance.
The camps typically consist of tents, makeshift structures, sleeping bags, and can include vehicles, trailers, campers, or recreational vehicles.
The encampments in some areas pose a threat to the health, safety, and welfare of not only camp residents but also the community at large because of the damage to public property, risk of fire, unsanitary conditions, and environmental degradation, according to the ordinance.
Supervisors Rich Desmond and Pat Hume said they introduced the amendment as a safety measure.
“My priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our neighborhoods and businesses,” Desmond said in the statement. “This amendment to prohibit unlawful camping on public property is not about punishing those experiencing homelessness; rather, it’s about creating a supportive environment for all community members.”
The camping ban was first brought up at the county’s Oct. 22 meeting. Desmond told other supervisors in October that he consulted with the sheriff and district attorney to ensure the measure complied with the law.
The county needs to “strike a balance” to allow officials to address the challenges of homelessness while also keeping public spaces safe and viable, he said.
Hume said the ordinance is intended to benefit everyone.
“It’s essential that our trails, medians, county highways, and public buildings are well-maintained for the health and enjoyment of all residents,” Hume said.
Sacramento County spends more than $220 million each year on programs, services, and solutions to homelessness.
“As with all policies that increase police contact, these policies pave the way for more discriminatory policing and a disparate impact on the black unhoused community and other communities of color,” Niki Jones, executive director of the Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, wrote on the group’s website. “We will not police our way out of this social health crisis.”
Jones also said the physical and mental distress caused by the policies is “incalculable.”
“This is morally repugnant as well as ineffective at reducing homelessness, simply removing unhoused communities from sight, rather than a focus on long term support on the pathway to housing,” she said.
The survey also found about 42 percent of the homeless—or 2,788—were adults with serious mental illness.
About 45 percent of the county’s homeless were chronically so, while 17 percent were families with children and 8 percent were veterans, the latest report showed.
The county is also moving ahead with an affordable housing project to shelter people trying to exit homelessness.
