Retired judge Lloyd Connelly leading homeless housing effort for Mayor Steinberg
Judge Lloyd G. Connelly (at podium) and Mayor Steinberg at the groundbreaking for the new downtown courthouse
One of Sacramento’s most distinguished public servants has joined Mayor Darrell Steinberg’s office to oversee implementation of the City’s new Comprehensive Siting Plan to Address Homelessness.
The Honorable Judge Lloyd G. Connelly, who most recently oversaw the ongoing construction of the new $500-million courthouse being built n the downtown Railyards, is donating his time to the mayor’s office. He will be working to fulfill the goals of the siting plan, which was passed unanimously by the City Council in August. It identifies sites and programmatic solutions to house more than 5,000 people at a time.
“Lloyd is mission-driven, collaborative, and a great person,” Mayor Steinberg said. “We’re fortunate that he has chosen to devote his time and his problem-solving expertise to this critical issue facing our city.”
Judge Connelly served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1970 and received an Army Commendation Medal. He served as an administrative assistant for a Sacramento County Supervisor, and then as a law clerk for the Legal Center for the Elderly and Disabled. At age 27, he was elected to the Sacramento City Council, where he served for seven years.
In 1983 Lloyd was elected to the state Assembly, where he served for nine years and was a member of the committees on Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials, Insurance, Judiciary and Natural Resources. He was honored as “Legislator of the Year” (1985) by the Society of Professional Journalists and rated number one overall legislator in a California Journal survey in 1990.
In 1992, Lloyd was elected Judge of the Superior Court of Sacramento County and served on the bench for the next 20 years. He handled a demanding criminal calendar before taking over complex civil cases. In this capacity he oversaw a deal by Imperial Valley farmers to sell water to the cities of San Diego County. He has presided over numerous mental health court cases and is steeped in mental health issues and the role they play in unsheltered homelessness.
After his retirement, the Superior Court judges in 2017 voted unanimously to appoint him as the court’s new executive officer. He subsequently secured the nearly $500 million needed to build a new courthouse in The Railyards and has overseen its construction.
