A new homeless strategy for the Sacramento region has now been suspended after major pushback from county and city leaders.

California Senator Angelique Ashby backpedaled on her bill, Senate Bill 802, after it faced big backlash from city and county leaders the day before its committee hearing.

"I believe the spirit is there, so I am going to give them that time," Sen. Ashby said.

The bill would have created an agency to oversee all the funding and homeless resources across the region, but many local leaders believed it would just add bureaucracy and disrupt existing programs.

"I believe when we talk about local control, it's about local cities and jurisdictions managing their own funding," Sacramento County Supervisor for District 4 Rosario Rodriguez.

County leaders said they are working on a plan with the seven cities within Sacramento to collaborate in a way that still allows each city to keep its money within its jurisdiction.

"We need to create a system that has actual authority, that has public transparency to it and is inclusive of all of the region's leaders," Sen. Ashby said. 

Ashby has since met with city and county leaders and heard them out. It is why she put the bill on pause, but she is adamant she wants to be part of the conversations the leaders are having. She believes something needs to change to create real progress. 

Ashby said if they can reach a consensus on a plan, she will modify the bill and put it back into committee early next year, or maybe the plan won't need a bill at all. 

• Sacramento
• Homelessness