Sacramento may ban homeless from sleeping at City Hall at mayor's request

Mathew Miranda, The Sacramento Bee on Jun 25, 2025

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SACRAMENTO — Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty is spearheading a policy that would prohibit homeless people from sleeping outside City Hall overnight — a reversal of the city’s approach to homelessness under his predecessor.

Under proposed change, people will be prohibited from sitting or laying down on the ground outside City Hall except in limited circumstances. The amendment comes six years after the Sacramento council voted to allow people to sleep on the property overnight but not during the day.

The city’s Law and Legislation Committee approved changing the ordinance Tuesday afternoon following a request from McCarty. A vote will now head to the City Council for final approval. The amendment comes six years after the Sacramento council rewrote the ordinance to allow people to sleep on the property overnight but not during the day.

The move reflects the city’s evolving approach to homelessness under McCarty. Among the new strategies are shifts away from congregate homeless shelters and Safe Ground locations toward smaller, community-based housing.

On Tuesday, Council members Rick Jennings, Roger Dickinson and Phil Pluckebaum voted in favor of changing the ordinance. Councilmember Caity Maple abstained, saying she reserved “her right to vote differently” at the next hearing.

The amendment would still allow people to sit or lie on benches or chairs which are outside the overhangs. Exemptions would also be given for those with a plaza event permit, according to the city staff report.

“It’s still very difficult for me emotionally, to wrap my mind around the fact that we still have people who they don’t have anywhere to go,” said Maple, who pushed for the city to increase its outreach efforts before the change on Tuesday.

The council members in support said the amendment will align Sacramento with existing state policies, reallocate resources and protect city employees.

“I want to make sure that City Hall is a safe, secure place for the public, for our employees and anyone that wants to live, work and play right here in this building,” Jennings said.

The City Hall facility consists of the area by “H and I streets and 9th and 10th streets,” according to the city staff report.

Interim City Manager Leyne Milstein said there have been incidents of criminal activity affecting city staff in the last seven years on the property, though she could not provide an exact number when asked. She estimated the roughly $353,000 spent per year on cleanup and response teams at City Hall would be reallocated to other locations.

McCarty, who is not on the committee, said his proposal is consistent with other policies which do not allow urban camping outside of state or federal buildings.

“This action aligns the city with those existing policies,” said McCarty in a written statement.

The Sacramento Police Department used the ordinance in January 2019 to order homeless people to move from City Hall’s overhangs during a severe rainstorm, according to previous Bee reporting. Then-Mayor Darrell Steinberg publicly apologized following the incident.

One month later, the council approved changing to ordinance to allow people to sleep overnight at City Hall but prohibited sitting or lying down on the ground between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Niki Jones, executive director of Sacramento Regional Coalition to End Homelessness, said the new ordinance will only further limit the safe locations available for the homeless community. These decisions increase stigmatization of the homeless, she added.

“What that really means is premature death,” Jones said. “What it what it really means is stress on the body, stress on the mind, stress on the heart and stress on the soul.”

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