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Court Ruling Has Sacramento County Backing Off No-Camping Ordinance

SACRAMENTO COUNTY (CBS13) — Sacramento County has suspended enforcement of its no-camping policy after an appeals court ruling against the city of Boise.

Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters says the county stopped enforcing the ordinance against camping without a permit after the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with six homeless people who sued Boise in 2009.

RELATED: Federal Court: Cities Can't Prosecute People For Sleeping On Streets

The Boise ordinance banned sleeping in public spaces. It was later amended to reduce enforcement when the shelters were full.

"Just as the state may not criminalize the state of being 'homeless in public places,' the state may not 'criminalize conduct that is an unavoidable consequence of being homeless," Judge Marsha Berzon wrote in the decision handed down on Sept. 4.

Peters says the ruling thwarts efforts to clean up the American River and remove homeless people along the parkway. She adds that the county is reviewing the court decision and figuring out its options.

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