Sacramento region reacts to Supreme Court allowing camping bans targeting homeless
SACRAMENTO -- From one capital city to another, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruling handed down Friday would allow cities like Sacramento to implement civil punishments to eliminate homeless encampments.
SCOTUS sided with an Oregon town that imposes civil punishments on homeless people for sleeping in public spaces. The decision found that the anti-camping rules are not prohibited by the Eighth Amendment's protections from cruel and unusual punishment.
Cities in Californa's capital region reacted to the decision, each with a different response.
In Roseville, the decision was applauded by city leaders who were part of a 13-city friend-of-the-court brief filed to the Supreme Court on the case. A city spokesperson said in a statement:
"The City of Roseville filed a friend-of-the-court brief with the Supreme Court in support of this case. We applaud the Supreme Court's decision as we know providing shelter to the chronically homeless without effectively addressing the root causes of their homelessness is not an effective or permanent solution."
Some Roseville residents agreed with this approach.
"Just arresting people isn't going to fix the problem," said Chad Shepherd, a Roseville resident and small business manager.
Others think this decision gives city officials the necessary tools to keep Roseville safe.
"If you're near schools, in places you shouldn't be, there is a danger element. So, I definitely think they should be moved out of there," said Jeanette Stipanovich, a Roseville resident.
In Sacramento, there was a different response to the SCOTUS decision that likely will not change current homeless response policies.
Mayor Darrel Steinberg told CBS13, "This court ruling should not change our balanced, compassionate approach."
Steinberg went into more detail as a CalMatters guest commentator on the case. He wrote that the decision was a chance for "California to create a better camping law."
"Unsheltered homelessness in Sacramento fell 41 percent between 2022 and 2024 due to our strategy of combining more shelter, housing, and services with an insistence that people cannot live in large encampments and violate ordinances protecting sidewalks, parks, and other critical spaces. This court ruling should not change our balanced, compassionate approach," Steinberg said.
Cities in the #Sacramento region have updates on homeless camping enforcement after SCOTUS ruling -- one of them, Roseville, was even cited in the majority. @CBSSacramento
— Madisen Keavy (@madisenkeavy) June 29, 2024
First things first, here's what you need to know about the decision: https://t.co/Amka50kJ9a
Some Sacramento residents said this ruling is counterintuitive to solving the problem.
"So now that they're criminalized, in addition to being homeless and all the other problems that they have, why not try to provide services?" said Cecile Nunley, a Sacramento resident.
On the other side of the Tower Bridge, there was a similar response. In West Sacramento, this decision will not cause any immediate change in how they handle the issue, according to a police spokesperson.
West Sacramento city leadership acknowledged that homelessness in and of itself is not a crime. A city spokesperson said:
"Most immediately, this decision won't change how our department approaches homelessness. We have for many years used a services first approach. Acknowledging that being homeless in and of itself is not a crime, our Community Outreach and Support Division works closely with Patrol and the city's Economic Development and Housing Department to ensure that we can offer support to some of our most vulnerable community members both through connecting to mental health services, and housing referrals.
Our Homeless Outreach team will continue to make contact with people camping in our city, offer services, issue notices regarding camping, which West Sacramento does have a Municipal Code regarding AND schedule clean ups where needed.
We recognize the impact that homeless camps have on our community as a whole, and will continue to look for innovative ways to approach this issue in our community. The city currently operates two motels as non-congregate emergency shelter, with the plan for two additional in the coming months; and works to connect those who cannot enter this program to other resources, including drug and alcohol treatment, the congregate shelter in woodland, and reconnecting with family."