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In article <uhli4k$3s22o$
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SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho
announced Tuesday morning that his office has filed a civil lawsuit
against the city of Sacramento over its response to the growing
unhoused population in the area.
Ho said he filed the lawsuit around 9 a.m.
“The community is at a breaking point,” Ho said in a press
conference where other Sacramento residents claimed inaction by the
city to their complaints.
The lawsuit comes after months of back-and-forth between the city
and the county regarding accountability over unhoused encampments.
Ho said that the unhoused population in Sacramento has grown 250% in
the last seven years, outpacing San Francisco.
The district attorney said the city should consistently enforce its
ordinances regarding unlawful camping, storage and sidewalk
obstructions.
"City Hall allows camping on City Hall property at night, but they
don't allow it during the day. I ask the city to extend the same
protection they give to themselves to the rest of us," he said.
He also called for more professionally operated safe ground camping
places.
Earlier this year on July 26, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and
Ho met to discuss a partnership between the city and county to
address homelessness issues.
Ho responded to the city a month later with a letter that included
data from his office’s survey on the Sacramento homeless response,
which included a 30-day notice for the city to comply with the DA’s
demands.
The DA’s demands include requiring the city attorney’s office to
prosecute codes and ordinances outside of his office’s jurisdiction, providing four additional city attorneys, creating more temporary
emergency shelter and camping spaces, access to real-time data
regarding shelter beds and a citywide daytime camping ban, among
other things.
Steinberg had responded to that letter by saying it “deflects
responsibility, takes credit for programs the city initiated, lacks
basic understanding of existing shelter management systems and
funding structures, and includes a series of demands that would
cripple the city financially.”
Ho said Tuesday his office will be “demanding text messages, emails
and the production of documents.” He said they plan to call 400-500
witnesses “that will talk about the city’s actions and inactions.”
The goal is to “ensure that the city follows through with its
mandate,” he said.
City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood released the following statement in
response to the lawsuit:
“The City has attempted to work with the District Attorney multiple
times in recent months, stating that collaboration is the best path
forward. However, it sadly appears the DA would rather point fingers
and cast blame than partner to achieve meaningful solutions for our
community. The City looks forward to responding to the DA’s claims
in court.”
Steinberg later said that the lawsuit was a "performative
distraction" by the DA.
Here is Steinberg's full statement:
The frustration that members of our community feel is absolutely
justified. The Council has endorsed and is pressing for strong
enforcement of our codes and the law. But the DA's lawsuit will not
clear a single sidewalk nor get a single person off the streets.
We are working day and night to enforce our laws and provide relief
to our community while avoiding the futile trap of just moving
people endlessly from one block to the next.
Frankly, we have no time for the District Attorney’s performative
distraction from the hard work we all need to do together to solve
this complex social problem plaguing urban centers throughout the
state and nation.
The city needs real partnership from the region’s leaders, not
politics and lawsuits.
Let’s just do the work."
The Sacramento Homeless Union said in a statement Tuesday that it
would file a motion and complaint for intervention in the Superior
Court.
The homeless union said the district attorney's lawsuit targets
unhoused residents "who are at the cross-hairs of both sides."
"Both the City and the D.A. are complicit in the ongoing persecution
of the unhoused and we will continue to take on both sides to
protect the interests of our members," the statement read in part.
https://www.kcra.com/article/modesto-new-youth-housing-
facility/45212925
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