The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Dec. 9 to direct county staff to pursue a staff‑recommended governance model intended to increase elected‑official involvement and accountability for the region’s homelessness system, while giving staff authority to convene a separate Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board if the Continuum of Care (CoC) or partner cities decline to reconstitute themselves.

The staff recommendation, based on a months‑long review and a report by Mosaic Solutions and Advocacy, calls for reconstituting the CoC so that elected officials from the county, the city of Sacramento and suburban cities hold a majority of voting seats. That change, staff said, is designed to improve transparency, make it easier to align funding and priorities across jurisdictions, and preserve federally mandated CoC functions while elevating regional policymaking.

Mosaic consultants Matt Kate and Darby Kernan told the board the current governance structure has produced “difficulty in getting information to move vertically” and recommended either reconstituting the CoC or establishing a new elected leadership board if the CoC does not agree. “Adding representatives from the board of supervisors, the city of Sacramento and an elected official from each suburban city as the lead voting members is the first change,” Kernan said during the presentation.

Sacramento Steps Forward and the CoC leadership proposed a different path — an “option C” that would preserve the CoC’s federally required responsibilities while creating a separate leadership council of elected officials and sector decision‑makers to set a unified countywide plan and systemwide performance targets. “We believe the CoC should be a seat at the table, not the table itself,” said SSF representative Trent Simmons.

The board’s debate reflected a split among supervisors about speed and structure. Vice Chair Rodriguez said she favors bringing the CoC back into county oversight: “I am a strong believer that the COC should come back to the county,” she said, arguing the county would be able to set clearer performance measures and fiscal control. Others, including Supervisor Kennedy and Supervisor Hume, supported a model that preserves the CoC’s community voice while adding elected leadership to improve accountability.

Chair Phil Serna framed the motion as a conditional path: to implement the staff‑recommended option if the CoC board and participating cities are amenable; if they are not, allow staff to form the Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board in coordination with partner cities. After extended discussion and testimony from CoC and SSF leaders, the board passed the motion 5‑0. The motion directs staff to return with implementation steps and timelines.

What the board approved

• The board directed staff to pursue the staff‑recommended model (reconstituted CoC with elected majorities) if the CoC and partner cities agree.
• If the CoC or partner cities are not amenable, staff are authorized to work with cities to form a Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board as an alternative.
• Staff was directed to return with details and a goal of seating a new or reconstituted body in the spring of 2026, contingent on partner agreements.

Why it matters

The action responds to persistent concerns about fragmentation and accountability in a system that coordinates roughly $40 million in federal and local homeless funding. County staff and consultants warned of tightening federal priorities and potential funding shifts, and argued clearer lines of elected accountability would help the region manage scarce resources and respond to federal compliance risks.

Who said what

• Matt Kate, Mosaic Solutions and Advocacy, presented the consultants’ findings and recommended reconstituting the CoC. “The electeds we interviewed felt like there needed to be more directly involved,” he said.
• Darby Kernan, Mosaic Solutions and Advocacy, urged either reconstitution of the CoC or, failing that, creation of a new elected leadership board.
• Cassandra Jennings, incoming chair of SSF, urged collaboration and offered an alternative model that preserves community voice while providing elected direction.
• Joe Smith, chair of the CoC board, said the CoC has been taking steps to add elected seats and streamline its structure and said the CoC would discuss a formal option at its next meeting.

What comes next

Staff will return with a draft motion language and implementation roadmap, including proposed seats, administrative support needs and a timeline for any reconstitution or new board formation. The board requested explicit language around contingencies and legal steps given the CoC’s federal role and the need to maintain HUD compliance.

Votes at a glance

• Motion to direct staff to pursue staff‑recommended model if CoC/cities agree, or otherwise to work with cities to establish the Sacramento Homeless and Housing Board: Passed 5‑0.

The board’s direction does not immediately change the CoC’s legal status; implementation depends on negotiations with the CoC, Sacramento Steps Forward and the county’s city partners.