BCFAC News 9/19/2023 Sacramento, CA — 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.

It alleges that the city “allowed, created, and enabled a public safety crisis regarding our unhoused,” Ho said.

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.

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 caping 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.