FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: October 9, 2025
Location: Sacramento, California

Sacramento Resident Challenges Potential City Hall Overreach

City Manager’s use of “temporary shelter” powers may violate limits of Ordinance 2023-00995

Sacramento, CA — Richard “The AMAZING Rick” Loek, a Sacramento resident, has called for immediate clarification from the City Attorney’s Office regarding the City Manager’s authority under Ordinance 2023-00995, adopted by the Sacramento City Council on August 1, 2023. The ordinance, titled “Authorizing the City Manager to Implement a Temporary Shelter Program,” was designed to enable rapid creation of temporary emergency shelter spaces such as safe-ground camping sites and short-term motel housing. However, recent actions and statements from City officials have raised concerns that this authority may be interpreted to include construction of permanent micro-home or tiny-home communities—an interpretation not supported by the ordinance’s text or intent.

“This ordinance was never meant to greenlight permanent construction without Council oversight,” said Loek. “Temporary authority to establish emergency shelters does not mean the City Manager can bypass zoning, budget approval, and CEQA requirements. Sacramento residents deserve transparency and accountability, not administrative overreach.”

The ordinance clearly limits the City Manager’s authority to “temporary shelter spaces, including but not limited to safe-ground camping sites and motel rooms.” Permanent structures, including tiny-home or micro-home communities, would require explicit City Council approval and separate environmental review under CEQA. Loek’s inquiry urges the City Attorney, Mayor Darrell Steinberg, and the City Council to confirm in writing that no permanent development is being pursued under the guise of this emergency ordinance.

“If City Hall wants to build permanent housing, let them do it in the light of day—with public hearings, fiscal accountability, and full environmental disclosure,” Loek added. “Compassion for the unhoused should never come at the cost of transparency to taxpayers.”

A formal request for clarification has been sent to City Attorney Susana Alcala Wood, with copies provided to the Mayor, City Council, and local media. The letter cites specific sections of the ordinance that restrict the City Manager’s powers to temporary measures and questions whether any permanent construction is being planned without proper authorization.

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