Sacramento California was my home until I retired. I use to ride from Northern Sacramento out by Elverta/Rio Linda to Downtown via the bike trail. The homeless were always a problem, and I carried pepper spray, and folding knife. The really bad spot on the trip was a couple of pedestrian tunnel where you never knew what was waiting for you at the other end.

The best advice is you are not in the mental state to do battle, if you must battle you will most likely come out the looser. The homeless, vagrents, and thieve have little to loose if they can assult you, take your bike, take your wallet.

Have a plan and practice getting your pepper spray out, and indexing it so when you speay it. It dont spray toward you, and it going in the direction of the bad guy.