LAW AND LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Jay Schenirer, Chair, District 5
Jeff Harris, Vice Chair, District 3
Katie Valenzuela, District 4
Eric Guerra, District 6
COMMITTEE STAFF
Wendy Klock-Johnson, Assistant City Clerk
Steve Itagaki, Supervising Deputy City Attorney
Consuelo Hernandez, Director of Governmental Affairs
Law and Legislation
Committee
City Hall-Council Chamber
915 I Street, 1st Floor
Published by the Office of the City Clerk
(916) 808-5163
CORRESPONDENCE
Description of Attached: Correspondence received after Agenda was published.
For the Meeting of: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 at 1:00 p.m.
Agenda Item: Discussion Item 6
6. Ordinance Amending Chapter 12.24 of the Sacramento City Code Relating to Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference
File ID: 2022-01224
Location: Citywide
Recommendation: 1) Review an Ordinance amending Chapter 12.24 of the Sacramento City Code relating to Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference; and 2) pass a Motion forwarding the Ordinance to City Council for consideration.
Contact: Susana Alcala Wood, City Attorney, (916) 808-5346, [email protected]; Michael J. Benner, Senior Deputy City Attorney, (916) 808-5346, [email protected], Office of the City Attorney
From: ALLISON Graff
To: Public Comment
Subject: No on Item #6
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 10:19:21 PM
Dear Law and Legislation Committee,
I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Item #6, the ordinance amending Chapter 12.24 of Sacramento City Code. I am very concerned how this ordinance will further criminalize and punish our unhoused community members without addressing the root problem of our ongoing homelessness crisis: the lack of affordable housing or safe shelters.
This ordinance will neither improve the “quality of life” for city residents or businesses nor provide any meaningful relief for our unhoused neighbors. Under current city code, sidewalks and entrances are already protected and require unhoused people to shift their belongings to allow free passage. Adding the threat of criminal punishment as a misdemeanor will not only fail to deter camping in these areas, but it will worsen the homelessness crisis by exacerbating unhoused people’s economic instability and making it harder to qualify for available housing. Where are the city and county services that will help folks blocking our sidewalks and entrances? How is putting them in deeper debt or an overcrowded jail cell doing anything to address homelessness? Being homeless is not a crime, but this ordinance will further criminalize the unhoused population – who are disproportionately comprised of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color – and expose them to violence from its enforcement. When the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism as a public health crisis in November 2020, it called on all its 7 cities to acknowledge how surveillance, over-policing, and mass incarceration thave disproportionately impacted the health and well-being of Black communities and other communities of color and take steps to reverse it. As noted in the recent report from California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations for African Americans, Sacramento also has a moral obligation – as both the state capitol and the county’s largest city – to reverse the written and unwritten policies that created the deep-seated racial and economic inequities that have left Black people (13% of the county population) comprising 40% of the state and county’s unhoused population and 40% of its jail population.
This ordinance will not heal our city and it certainly does not keep us safe. Please vote NO on this ordinance and focus your efforts to tackle the root problem in homelessness.
Sincerely,
Allison Graff
From: Kari Halen
To: Public Comment
Subject: Item #6
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:08:18 PM
I agree & support MESA Support of City Code Amendment of Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference:
I have personally had to remove garbage left by overnighters along the sidewalk near my home. I love across from WA elementary & have witnessed children walking into the street because of obstruction on the sidewalk left by a homeless individual.
Kari Halen 1630 F St. Sacramento
From: rah95816 (null)
To: Public Comment
Cc: [email protected]; Katie Valenzuela (City); Skyler Michel-Evleth Subject: Agenda Item #6 - This agenda item is regarding the amendment of the City Code relating to Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference.
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 7:35:27 PM
I am a resident of 25th and T Street and every day I go by the underpass on T between 29th and 30th.
No one can use the sidewalk and there is trash all over the place that seeps over into the gutter and street. The bike lane is obstructed all the time by something and today there were three cars parked on the street blocking the bike path and sidewalk.
This is not right and unfair. And this is not unique to T Street, there are many streets facing similar situations.
We have been told by Council staff to report incidents like this via e-mail to 311. All are frustrated with 311 for a variety of reasons and given up though we encourage all to send in their concerns, however many believe that this is one of the responsibilities of our elected officials and and we must hold them accountable for the safety of our streets.
As President of NBNA, I can not speak for our group at this time but this has been a point of contention for sometime. Our neighbors are angry at this type of allowed behavior.
As homeowners, residents, and just plain citizens of this city, we find it appalling that our rights to enjoy our city streets are being taken away.
This compromise is a beginning and should foster a better relationship among the housed and unhoused.
In peace,
Richard Hernandez
Homeowner
25th and T
From: JANE HOWELL
To: Public Comment
Subject: agenda item #6
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 3:26:56 PM
Please approve item 6. E. F. & G streets between 29th & 30th are impossible to use not just by pedestrians but by vehicles and bicycle riders.
The bicycle can no long use their designated lane and must swerve into the vehicle lanes. School may now be closed but children wanting to swim at McKinley are unable to use E. F. & G from midtown. This also applies to those wanting to use the library for the very important summer reading program.
Jane Howell
179 40th St 95819
From: Juice Sacramento
To: Public Comment
Cc: Jay Schenirer; [email protected]; Eric Guerra; Katie Valenzuela (City) Subject: RE: Item 6 Law and Legislative Committee 6.21.22 Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:02:36 PM
Attachments: In Memory Of.png
In Memory Of.png
Dear Law and Legislation Committee,
I am writing out of deep concern for item 6 on the agenda for your 6.21.22 meeting.
For years I’ve been hearing about alternatives to 911, mental health professionals being available to deal with mental health crises, and more services for community members experiencing homelessness.
I own a business at H and 57th Street. Two weeks ago when I got to work there was a man who was obviously experiencing a mental health crisis. He was dressed in long sleeved clothes and heavy pants, in spite of it being over 100 degrees, banging on doors of businesses, and speaking mostly gibberish. I called every number I could get my hands on, and my only option was still to call the police.
Amadt Lundt, Gabby Nevarez, Maurice Holley, Joseph Mann, Darrell Richards, Mikel McIntyre, Robert Coleman, Adam Lundt, Sergey Makarenko, Dazion Flenaugh, and Michelle Shirley (and SO many others) have proven that law enforcement can be a deadly call when someone is experiencing a mental health crisis.
So there I was left, at work, with a community member experiencing a mental health crisis, and no capable professional to call for help.
The trajectory of continuing to criminalize homelessness and mental illness, over offering services is not only inhumane, it’s also counter productive.
Our budget is a pie - putting more resources in one place inevitably means those resources can’t go to another place.
I want you to all ask yourselves who this law will penalize. And if the penalty will truly solve the root of the problem, or continue to exacerbate our already overburdened criminal justice system (turned mental health asylum) .
Before you even consider putting another dollar into criminalizing those struggling to find safe housing, preventative and restorative services MUST be fully funded.
The man who I encountered a few weeks back at work, fell asleep on the side of my work building, on the asphalt for several hours, and eventually wandered off, with no services and no resources - and all the risk of having a deadly encounter with law enforcement.
Instead of using our communal dollars and time to provide services, today’s agenda item seeks to arrest and throw him in jail.
As you consider voting on item 6 I have a few things I’d like you to remember:
1. Sacramento has one of the high rates on incarceration, 42.5% higher than other California counties
2. 66% of pre-trial population has a mental health need
3. California has a recidivism rate that has hovered around 50% for the last decade
4. The majority of the county and city budget is already spent the carceral system/ law enforcement
The city already doesn’t allow people to block pedestrian walkways and doorways - adding civil/criminal punishment is a direct attack on our most vulnerable community members, and a gross misuse of communal funds.
If you truly want less people blocking sidewalks and doorways, use our resources to fund the services and community organizations that can support giving people safe accessible homes and access to mental health services.
--
Power To The People,
The J.U.I.C.E. Team
Justice Unites Individuals and Communities Everywhere
@JuiceSacramento
From: Kathy Lelevier
To: Public Comment
Subject: Item 6. City Code Amendment of Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference:
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 2:13:59 AM
I fully support the City Code Amendment of Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference.
The public should be able to safely walk on public streets without having to deal with garbage and obstructions. The homeless situation is out of control in Sacramento. I do not see other cities allowing homeless tents to obstruct public streets and allow garbage to be overflowing.
Laws need to be enforced. I have empathy for the unhoused but their rights should not trump taxpayers’ rights. The City needs to provide locations for tents that are not infringing on the public’s right of safe access to streets and amenities. What happened to the enforcement of littering? As a long time Sacramento resident it is so sad to see the state of our City and the homeless situation. Sacramento used to be a great place to raise a family but it is no longer a safe place with increased crime and unchecked homeless.
Kathy Lelevier
Sent from my iPhone
From: Ron Maertz
To: Public Comment
Subject: ITEM # 6 Support of City Code Amendment of Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 4:08:49 PM
I support the City Code Amendment, but there is something that is definitely missing. As an avid walker, I often have to divert into the street due to poorly pruned trees and landscaping. This is not a homeless problem, it is a problem where property owners do not adequately care for their property. This should definitely be included in the Amendment.
Ron Maertz
From: Emily Martin
To: Jay Schenirer; Eric Guerra; Jeff S. Harris; Katie Valenzuela (City); Public Comment Subject: Vote No on 6
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 9:18:52 PM
DDear Law and Legislation Committee,
I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Item #6, the ordinance amending Chapter 12.24 of Sacramento City Code. I am very concerned how this ordinance will further criminalize and punish our unhoused community members without addressing the root problem of our ongoing homelessness crisis: the lack of affordable housing or safe shelters.
This ordinance will neither improve the “quality of life” for city residents or businesses nor provide any meaningful relief for our unhoused neighbors. Under current city code, sidewalks and entrances are already protected and require unhoused people to shift their belongings to allow free passage. Adding the threat of criminal punishment as a misdemeanor will not only fail to deter camping in these areas, but it will worsen the homelessness crisis by exacerbating unhoused people’s economic instability and making it harder to qualify for available housing. Where are the city and county services that will help folks blocking our sidewalks and entrances? How is putting them in deeper debt or an overcrowded jail cell doing anything to address homelessness? This ordinance will not heal our city and it certainly does not keep us safe. Please vote NO on this ordinance and focus your efforts to tackle the root problem in homelessness.
Sincerely,
Emily Martin, LCSW
Local social worker serving Sacramento County residents who are housing unstable and struggle with mental health for 8 years
From: Eliot O
To: Public Comment
Subject: Item #6 for June 21st meeting
Date: Sunday, June 19, 2022 1:14:01 AM
Dear Law and Legislation Committee,
I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Item #6, the ordinance amending Chapter
12.24 of Sacramento City Code. I am very concerned how this ordinance will further criminalize and punish our unhoused community members without addressing the root problem of our ongoing homelessness crisis: the lack of affordable housing or safe shelters.
This ordinance will neither improve the “quality of life” for city residents or businesses nor provide any meaningful relief for our unhoused neighbors. Under current city code, sidewalks and entrances are already protected and require unhoused people to shift their belongings to allow free passage. Adding the threat of criminal punishment as a misdemeanor will not only fail to deter camping in these areas, but it will worsen the homelessness crisis by exacerbating unhoused people’s economic instability and making it harder to qualify for available housing. Where are the city and county services that will help folks blocking our sidewalks and entrances? How is putting them in deeper debt or an overcrowded jail cell doing anything to address homelessness?
Being homeless is not a crime, but this ordinance will further criminalize the unhoused population – who are disproportionately comprised of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color – and expose them to violence from its enforcement. When the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism as a public health crisis in November 2020, it called on all its 7 cities to acknowledge how surveillance, over- policing, and mass incarceration thave disproportionately impacted the health and well-being of Black communities and other communities of color and take steps to reverse it. As noted in the recent report from California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations for African Americans, Sacramento also has a moral obligation – as both the state capitol and the county’s largest city – to reverse the written and unwritten policies that contributed to Black people comprising 40% of California’s unhoused population and 40% of our county jail population.
This ordinance will not heal our city and it certainly does not keep us safe. Please vote NO on this ordinance and focus your efforts to tackle the root problem in homelessness.
Sincerely,
Eliot Olson
From: Nicholas Rotas
To: Public Comment
Subject: support
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 5:21:13 PM
We are in Support of City Code Amendment of Sidewalk Obstructions and Pedestrian Interference to make a safe path possible for
Students and those walking under underpass a safe and clear path to pass these homeless camps.
Nicholas & Carol Rotas
From: Linda Ruggles
To: Public Comment
Subject: Agenda item #6
Date: Tuesday, June 21, 2022 7:57:49 AM
I, Linda Ontiveros Ruggles, resident of Arden Arcade Sacramento, stand with in support with MESA and the sidewalk ordinance. I believe we need the support to get our city back and tackle the issue of homelessness and drug abuse in our neighborhoods.
MESA strongly supports the sidewalk ordinance. As an organization with over 200 members in Midtown and East Sac, we believe having a safe path to walk on a sidewalk is important for both the homeless community and local residents. Often times, there is not a safe path to walk from Midtown to East Sac for students at Sutter Middle School or residents who want to enjoy McKinley Park. Folks typically must walk in the street, around piles of leaves and trash, in order to access the city's amenities. Mothers with strollers must exit the sidewalk and push their babies in the street because tents and homemade fences take up the entirety of the sidewalk. The sidewalk is designed for residents to safely walk to the park, and today it cannot be used for that purpose.
This measure is a reasonable compromise to allow local residents to access our city's amenities. It simply asks our homeless residents to be considerate neighbors to the local residents and allows the sidewalks to be used as designed. The sidewalks under the freeway between 29th and 30th streets are 14 feet wide. That leaves plenty of room for the homeless individuals and the local residents to both use the sidewalks. Most of the homeless living under the freeway currently are good neighbors, and when we have a neighborly conversation with them, we work together and keep a clear path. However, there tends to be a small number of individuals that won’t work with the community, and this ordinance will help address those cases.
From: Corrine Sako
To: Jay Schenirer; Jeff S. Harris; Eric Guerra; Katie Valenzuela (City); Public Comment Subject: 6/21/22 Law & Legislation Committee Public Comment Item #6 Date: Saturday, June 18, 2022 8:56:55 PM
Dear City Councilmembers,
My name is Dr. Corrine McIntosh Sako. I am a licensed psychologist in private practice, a community mental health advocate, and a resident of District 7. I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Item #6, the ordinance amending Chapter 12.24 of Sacramento City Code. I am very concerned how this ordinance will further criminalize and punish our unhoused community members without addressing the root problem of our ongoing homelessness crisis:
the lack of affordable housing or safe shelters.
This ordinance will neither improve the “quality of life” for city residents or businesses nor provide any meaningful relief for our unhoused neighbors. Under current city code, sidewalks and entrances are already protected and require unhoused people to shift their belongings to allow free passage. Adding the threat of criminal punishment as a misdemeanor will not only fail to deter camping in these areas, but it will worsen the homelessness crisis by exacerbating unhoused people’s economic instability and making it harder to qualify for available housing.
Where are the city and county services that will help folks blocking our sidewalks and entrances? How is putting them in deeper debt or an overcrowded jail cell doing anything to address homelessness?
Being homeless is not a crime, but this ordinance will further criminalize the unhoused population – who are disproportionately comprised of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color – and expose them to violence from its enforcement. When the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism as a public health crisis in November 2020, it called on all its 7 cities to acknowledge how surveillance, over-policing, and mass incarceration have disproportionately impacted the health and well-being of Black communities and other communities of color and take steps to reverse it. As noted in the recent report from California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations for African Americans, Sacramento also has a moral obligation – as both the state capitol and the county’s largest city – to reverse the written and unwritten policies that contributed to Black people comprising 40% of California’s unhoused population and 40% of our county jail population.
This ordinance will not heal our city and it certainly does not keep us safe. Please vote NO on this ordinance and focus your efforts to tackle the root problem in homelessness.
Thank you for your consideration,
Dr. Corrine McIntosh Sako, PsyD, LMFT
--
Dr. Corrine McIntosh Sako, PsyD, LMFT
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers (What's this?
)
Licensed Psychologist, Private Practice
President, Sacramento Valley Psychological Association
Vice Chair, Sacramento County Mental Health Advisory Board 1329 Howe Avenue, Suite 201
Sacramento, CA 95825
tel (916) 202-1890
[email protected]
www.drcorrinemcintosh.com
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: This communication, including any attachments, may be privileged and confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please immediately notify the sender by telephone or e-mail, and permanently delete all copies, electronic or other, you may have. The foregoing applies even if this notice is embedded in a message that is forwarded or attached.
From: [email protected]
To: Public Comment
Cc: Dale
Subject: Support of amendment to ordinance relating to sidewalk obstructions and pedestrian interference Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 5:22:57 PM
We strongly support the City code amendment relating to sidewalk obstructions and pedestrian interference. As residents of East Sacramento, we are no longer able to safely walk from our neighborhood into midtown, or in many parts of midtown, which we previously felt safe doing. Since when did it become acceptable for some members of society to lay claim to public property, thereby making it unusable by the rest of society, including those of us who pay taxes which ultimately pay for said sidewalks. Since we refuse to walk in the street, putting ourselves at risk of being hit by a car or bicycles, we are unable to walk down any street where homeless encampments are spread out across the sidewalks.
While we are not handicapped (in a wheelchair or using a cane or walker) we cannot believe the City has not yet done anything to ensure these members of society are able to freely use the sidewalks, as well as parents pushing children in strollers.
While we don’t think they should be allowed to camp on any public area, sidewalks, entrances to buildings, etc., requiring them to keep their “belongings” within bounds and providing at least 4 feet of clear space for others via the amendment to this ordinance is a step in the right direction. Many of the sidewalks are plenty wide to still allow a tidy homeless camp and also the safe passage of pedestrians. Allowing them to spread across sidewalks and take over entrances to buildings is completely unacceptable
Debbie and Dale Snapp
From: Mad Will
To: Public Comment
Subject: Agenda Item #6
Date: Monday, June 20, 2022 2:53:58 PM
Dear Law and Legislation Committee,
I am writing to urge you to vote NO on Item #6, the ordinance amending Chapter 12.24 of Sacramento City Code. I am very concerned how this ordinance will further criminalize and punish our unhoused community members without addressing the root problem of our ongoing homelessness crisis: the lack of affordable housing or safe shelters.
This ordinance will neither improve the “quality of life” for city residents or businesses nor provide any meaningful relief for our unhoused neighbors. Under current city code, sidewalks and entrances are already protected and require unhoused people to shift their belongings to allow free passage. Adding the threat of criminal punishment as a misdemeanor will not only fail to deter camping in these areas, but it will worsen the homelessness crisis by exacerbating unhoused people’s economic instability and making it harder to qualify for available housing.
Where are the city and county services that will help folks blocking our sidewalks and entrances? How is putting them in deeper debt or an overcrowded jail cell doing anything to address homelessness?
Being homeless is not a crime, but this ordinance will further criminalize the unhoused population – who are disproportionately comprised of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color – and expose them to violence from its enforcement. When the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors declared racism as a public health crisis in November 2020, it called on all its 7 cities to acknowledge how surveillance, over-policing, and mass incarceration thave disproportionately impacted the health and well-being of Black communities and other communities of color and take steps to reverse it. As noted in the recent report from California’s Task Force to Study and Develop Reparations for African Americans, Sacramento also has a moral obligation – as both the state capitol and the county’s largest city – to reverse the written and unwritten policies that created the deep-seated racial and economic inequities that have left Black people (13% of the county population) comprising 40% of the state and county’s unhoused population and 40% of its jail population.
This ordinance will not heal our city and it certainly does not keep us safe. Please vote NO on this ordinance and focus your efforts to tackle the root problem in homelessness.
Sincerely,
Madeline Wilson