The Heart of the Matter

Tina Thomas has let her philosophy guide her since her early days in environmental law, which she dove into after graduating from the University of San Diego School of Law in 1979.

“You have to have a heart,” Thomas says. “It’s really that simple. As lawyers, we’re fortunate to be well-educated and generally well-compensated, which puts us in a very good position to give back. From the day I started practicing law, this was an idea I incorporated into my work.”

As a young associate, Thomas got her first taste of pro bono work when she and a mentor joined forces to shut down a nuclear power plant. “This took years,” she says. “But it had a huge impact on me.”

So in 1997, when LeRoy Chatfield, former director of Loaves & Fishes—the largest homeless services provider in Sacramento—came to her for help, she didn’t need much convincing. “Go up against the city? Let’s go,” she recalls saying.

The city of Sacramento, Thomas says, sought to shut down Loaves & Fishes for an alleged violation of its conditional use permit, prompted by the Catholic ministry feeding the unhoused population on-site on Sundays. “There were only certain times when Loaves & Fishes could serve food, and the city took a very unfair approach because Sisters of Mercy would provide hot meals on Sundays,” Thomas says. “When the city started going after Loaves & Fishes, Sisters of Mercy was having none of it.”

The fight grew bitter, and it grew bigger. In a pre-viral age, the story was picked up by The New York Times and the Los Angeles Times. “60 Minutes even called,” Thomas remembers. “There was huge outrage, but the city also had many supporters—lots of NIMBYism, and pushback from local businesses who contended that Loaves & Fishes and the population it served caused too many problems for them.”

At its core, Thomas says, the case was a land use matter. “It was ultimately about permit violation claims. I don’t know how long we battled the city, but they finally caved. It was an immense amount of time, but I walked away with a really good feeling that this organization would be able to continue serving the homeless population of Sacramento.”

Thomas’ advocacy didn’t just keep the doors of Loaves & Fishes open—it helped the organization grow. “What was initially just a dining room has expanded to offer mental health services and medical checkups,” she says. “An area called Friendship Park was added, where people can get a cup of coffee and speak with advocates about housing or other resources. Many local business people still take issue with it, but that’s just the way it goes.”

According to Sacramento’s Office of Homeless Initiatives, nearly 9,300 people live unhoused in Sacramento County, 72% of them out of shelters—in tents, vehicles, or on the streets. “No one should have to live like this,” Thomas says. 

Loaves & Fishes is just one part of Thomas’ approach to the crisis in her community. In her land use practice, she represents housing developers to ensure regulatory compliance and project approval.

“Over the past few years, a number of legislators have really focused on making it easier to approve housing,” she says. “I greatly appreciate it. I have represented developers trying to build affordable, multifamily housing only to be held up by opposition, leaving us stuck in litigation for years. It’s very difficult to actually build housing in California. You need deep pockets to hold on that long. But I’m committed to this work because housing is such a central part of the homelessness problem.”

Thomas continues her relationship with Loaves & Fishes, recently counseling the organization away from what she identified as a potential threat to their permit. Her other pro bono clients include Wind Youth Services, WEAVE, and Meristem, a school for neurodivergent young people. “I use the skills I’ve developed in land use and environmental law to help these nonprofit organizations navigate difficult situations,” she says.

She’s also setting an example. “I love to mentor young women, and I have three children. I wanted to show what it means to be a good steward,” Thomas says. “It’s long been part of my message to young people: Give back if you can.”