Sleeping on a sidewalk or in a vehicle on public property is now a criminal misdemeanor in Sparks after the city council voted unanimously Monday to approve an ordinance change.
The ordinance, initially passed in August 2023 without much public outcry, was brought back to council members after city staff said the law needed more teeth to respond to people who resist social services.
However, when a new law took effect in 2023 making certain traffic citations civil infractions, the lack of clarity in Sparks municipal code brought the ordinance change back to the council’s consideration. The move drew opposition from members of the Reno Sparks Tenants Union, Laundry to the People, Faith in Action Nevada and several other organizations, who voiced their concerns at Monday’s council meeting.
“The people who are going to be affected by this … ordinance do not have any other options,” said Rosie Zuckerman with Laundry to the People , a mutual aid group that offers free laundry services to the unhoused population. “They are people who have been laid off, suffered a medical expense, fled an abusive situation, received no-cause evictions, the list of unfortunate circumstances is endless.”