By Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO – The Sacramento Homeless Union has announced a legal settlement with the City of Sacramento in a federal lawsuit seeking protections for unhoused residents during extreme heat events. The agreement, finalized on August 1, 2025, concludes the case Sacramento Homeless Union et al. v. City of Sacramento, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, Case No. 2:22-cv-01552-KJM-JDP.
The lawsuit originally included the County of Sacramento, which was dismissed from the case after ceasing sweeps during heat waves. The city, however, continued its practices, prompting extended legal proceedings.
“Today marks a landmark victory in the ongoing fight for justice and dignity for Sacramento’s unhoused community,” said Crystal Rose Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union. “The settlement…stands as a testament to the unbreakable spirit, unity, and resilience of our unhoused neighbors and all who support them.”
The union described the brutal conditions unhoused people faced, including displacement from shaded areas during triple-digit heat and ineffective relief efforts. Ground temperatures in Safe Ground camps reportedly reached as high as 220 degrees inside tents, vehicles, and exposed areas, with some individuals offered only ice water or misters and denied access to nearby grass.
“For three consecutive summers,” Sanchez said, “the president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, volunteers, and unhoused residents documented the truth—taking daily readings with infrared thermometers in the shade and sun, across every district.”
The case resulted in multiple court injunctions affirming the right of unhoused people to access shade and avoid displacement during extreme weather. The City of Sacramento challenged these protections in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals but was unsuccessful.
Judge Troy L. Nunley of the U.S. District Court was praised for issuing and extending these injunctions. “Judge Nunley granted successive injunctions and extensions that safeguarded the lives of our unhoused neighbors, recognizing the gravity of the situation as one of life or death,” said Sanchez.
The union also credited Dr. Flojaune Cofer, whose expert testimony on the health risks of extreme heat helped persuade the court to act. “Her voice was instrumental in making the lived realities of our people impossible to ignore,” the union said.
Although the city did not formally revise its policies, the union emphasized that real-world changes occurred as a result of the legal and organizing pressure. “Tent cities began incorporating shade canopies, transportation to respite centers became more readily available, enhanced heat relief standards were established, and a greater number of respite spaces were made available.”
The settlement was reached by mutual agreement and dismissed without prejudice, meaning the union retains the right to return to court if necessary. “If the City again interferes with the rights of the unhoused to protect themselves during extreme weather situations, we stand ready to take legal action to defend our community,” said Sanchez.
The union expressed gratitude to the ACLU, the organizations who signed the People’s Amicus Brief, and their legal counsel, Anthony Prince. “Anthony’s unwavering dedication, deep compassion, and relentless pursuit of justice have been absolutely essential to this victory,” said Sanchez. “Their commitment went far beyond legal work—they became trusted allies, advocates, and friends to our movement.”
“To every unhoused person who stood up, spoke out, and fought for justice: this achievement belongs to you,” Sanchez concluded. “The Sacramento Homeless Union stands with you—today and every day.”
