Sacramento County is beginning to consider an ordinance to ban homeless camping that would conflict with "critical infrastructure", while still remaining in compliance with the 2018 appelate court decision ("Martin vs. City of Boise") that said anti-camping ordinances cannot be enforced if there are not enough shelter beds available for the homeless population.

Supervisor Rich Desmond has emailed his constituency about the proposed ordinance, saying:

"As you are all aware, homelessness continues to be one of the biggest problems facing Sacramento County - and it is getting worse.  For those who have spoken with me or my staff, you understand that reducing homelessness throughout our communities is of the utmost importance to me. My colleagues on the Board of Supervisors and I have been hard at work to come up with solutions that help those in need while providing relief to our businesses and neighborhoods from the negative impacts of encampments.  While I support more options for shelter, housing, and behavioral health treatment, I am also pursuing an ordinance that would prohibit camping and encampments in certain sensitive public property locations.

This Tuesday, we will start the conversation regarding this ordinance to hear from you and other stakeholders in the community. This will be the first of many discussions by the Board of Supervisors to address this topic. I am calling on you as residents of District 3 to make your voice heard on this crucial issue."

The proposed ordinance will be considered beginning June 14, 2022 at 11 am. Input can be delivered in person, by phone and by email to the Clerk of the Board. Information about the Board's agenda item, its proposed ordinance and supporting documents are available at: https://agendanet.saccounty.gov/BoardOfSupervisors/Meetings/ViewMeeting?id=7613&doctype=1 under Hearing Matter #77.