By Sara Beth Williams–
The Citrus Heights City Council unanimously approved the appointment of two council members to a new regional homelessness planning task force during the May 27 City Council meeting.
According to the council agenda packet, the city recommended Mayor MariJane Lopez-Taff as the city’s primary representative and Vice Mayor Porsche Middleton as the alternate representative on the newly proposed Sacramento Homeless and Housing Planning Task Force. The appointments will remain in effect for the duration of the task force unless the City Council later makes changes.
The new Planning Task Force is intended to replace the existing Sacramento Steps Forward Homeless Policy Council, where Lopez-Taff and Middleton already serve following their appointments earlier this year.
The city emphasized the importance of maintaining continuity as Sacramento County and local jurisdictions work toward forming a broader regional governance structure to address homelessness and housing services.
On April 28, the Sacramento City Council approved a framework that would consolidate coordination efforts among Sacramento County, the City of Sacramento, the Continuum of Care, and participating cities under a single governing body. Under the proposal, local jurisdictions would continue to maintain control over their own funding sources while participating in a coordinated regional structure.
Momentum for the regional restructuring increased on May 13, when the Continuum of Care Board voted 16-10 to participate in the new governance framework and appoint representatives to the ad hoc Planning Task Force. With that vote, Sacramento County, the six incorporated cities, and the Continuum of Care are now aligned on moving forward with the proposed structure, the city said.
City staff said in the May 27 agenda packet that the proposed framework aims to improve collaboration among agencies and service providers, strengthen accountability, streamline decision-making, and create more opportunities for residents to provide public input on homelessness-related policies.
The process is expected to unfold in three phases. The first phase focuses on establishing the Planning Task Force, seating elected officials and Continuum of Care representatives, and developing agreements and bylaws for the new structure.
The second phase would operationalize a newly organized Continuum of Care board. The final phase would establish the long-term governing body, including the adoption of a charter, the appointment of members, and the development of a strategic plan.
What led to the new Planning Task Force
Prompted by a grand jury report and criticism from state leaders, along with a proposed bill that would mandate the formation of a collective Joint Powers Authority to address homelessness and housing, regional leaders have spent over a year evaluating ways to streamline homeless services coordination and create a more unified governance model.
In October 2025, former Citrus Heights Mayor Jayna Karpinski-Costa joined a multi-jurisdictional conversation on homelessness and housing held in Sacramento.
The joint session, which former Sacramento Board of Supervisors Chair Phil Serna called “historic,” brought together 20 elected officials, including the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors, the Sacramento City Council, and mayors and city officials from each city within the county.
Throughout the day, officials heard presentations from various officials and organizations, including the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, Sacramento Steps Forward, Sacramento County Behavioral Health, and directors from each city’s housing services division, before joining in a facilitated discussion on what next steps to take.
During the discussion on the potential for future shared governance to address homelessness in Sacramento County, Karpinski-Costa said she did not think Citrus Heights needed to participate in shared governance but added that she would like to confer with the rest of the Citrus Heights City Council before issuing a final decision on participation.
Related: Citrus Heights mayor joins multi-jurisdictional conversation on homelessness.
Following the meeting and post-presentations from Sacramento County, Citrus Heights, and Rancho Cordova city councils later voted to remain neutral on the proposal of a formal Joint Powers Authority, while Folsom City Council and Sacramento County Board of Supervisors opposed the idea. The Sacramento City Council voted in favor; however, the mayor of Sacramento remains opposed, local news outlets say.
The city plans to continue monitoring regional discussions around homelessness and housing and provide updates to the council as the governance transition progresses.
