Update: Tuesday, May 12, 6:20 p.m.
The Sacramento City Council Law and Legislation Committee has approved a police department request to change the ordinance that covers nudity. The new law would make it illegal to be naked on city streets and sidewalks.
Currently the city ordinance does not address people who are undressed in city walkways and thoroughfares.
Original story: Monday, May 11
It's legal to be naked in some areas of downtown Sacramento, but probably not for long.
The City of Sacramento recently discovered its public nudity ordinance does not apply to people who are naked in the street or on the sidewalk.
Randi Knott is Director of Governmental Affairs for the city.
"We've had two situations in the past year, where we had individuals, we got calls, the police came down, arrested the individuals for being nude adjacent to a public park,"says Knott. "And when we got to the District Attorney's Office, they weren't able to prosecute."
The existing law bans nudity in parks, playgrounds, and waterways.
"The new ordinance will cover really anything that's in public view, in a public space, in a public right-of-way and should we encounter these, we will be able to arrest them and prosecute them," says Knott.
The Sacramento City Council Law and Legislation Committee will consider a new ordinance during its Tuesday meeting.
Artistic performances, breast-feeding mothers, and children under the age of ten would be exempt from the new law.
Follow us for more stories like this
CapRadio provides a trusted source of news because of you. As a nonprofit organization, donations from people like you sustain the journalism that allows us to discover stories that are important to our audience. If you believe in what we do and support our mission, please donate today.
Donate Today