SACRAMENTO, Calif. — As Sacramento leaders consider banning overnight sleeping at City Hall, police have already ramped up enforcement at the property under Mayor Kevin McCarty’s tenure.

In the past seven months, officers issued at least 187 citations to people sitting or lying at City Hall during the day. Only two such citations were issued in the final seven months of former Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s leadership.

The data, obtained from a public records request, reflects a broader shift in the city’s homelessness strategy since McCarty began his term in December. Among the changes are scaling back resources from congregate homeless shelters, a focus on building interim housing micro-communities and stronger enforcement efforts.

Last month, McCarty unveiled another proposal: prohibiting people from sleeping overnight at City Hall. Current city code, following a 2019 amendment, allows for sitting and lying at City Hall from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m.

The Sacramento Bee received records of violations of the city code at City Hall in the last year, which shows enforcement has significantly increased under McCarty.

From mid-December to early July, Sacramento police reported 248 violations of people sitting or lying down at City Hall at a time not allowed. Of those violations, 187 resulted in citations and 61 people received warnings.

About 45% of the violations led to arrests. People cited ranged from ages 22 to 72.

Enforcement of the violation started accelerating on Dec. 19 — nine days after McCarty was sworn in. Starting at 6:08 a.m., police issued six citations in 40-degree weather within a one-hour span. Prior to that date, officers had only reported 10 violations in 2024, according to Sacramento Police Department online data.

Citations continued in December and nearly every week afterward. In many instances, police reported violations on consecutive days.

By February, police cited more people than in all of 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 combined, according to Police Department online data. Violations of the city code do not show up for 2022.

These citations are subject to a misdemeanor and civil penalties ranging from $250 to $25,000.

McCarty attributed the increase to the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2024 Grant Passing rulings that said cities could fine or arrest homeless people who camp in public areas.

“Sacramento’s increase in encampment clean-ups across the city is in line with that ruling,” McCarty said in a written statement.

He added that the Mayor’s Office “encourage(s)” the Sacramento Police Department and Department of Community Response “to do their job to keep our streets clean and safe.”

“It is the duty of our team to enforce the policies and laws that ensure downtown and all of Sacramento is safe and prosperous,” McCarty said.

The Police Department said the agency increased “both outreach and enforcement effort” in late 2024 in response to concerns from community members, city employees and visitors. Other offenses cited include narcotics violations, drinking alcohol in public, urination and defecation and outstanding warrants, the agency added.

“We recognize that homelessness is a complex issue requiring a compassionate, holistic approach,” the department said in a statement. “While enforcement is necessary to maintain safe and accessible public spaces, it is only one part of a broader strategy.”

Steinberg, who was mayor when the council approved the nighttime exemption for sleeping at City Hall, said he did not give any directive to police about lessening citations as mayor. But he acknowledged there was a “passive understanding” of asking people to pick up their belongings at dawn.

“We drew the line between the late evening hours and in the morning,” said Steinberg, who was mayor from 2016 to 2024.

He declined to comment on the recent proposal to ban nighttime stays at City Hall or the increase in citations under the new mayor.

“I know what it’s like for everybody to first guess, second guess and third guess you,” Steinberg said. “I’m not going to do it.”

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