Council reviews Placer AI subscription amid privacy concerns and economic-development benefits

Ridgecrest city staff and council discussed the city’s subscription to Placer AI, a commercial location-analytics service used for retail and traffic intelligence, with city manager Ron Strand and economic development staff describing its value to recruitment and several council members raising privacy and national-security concerns.

Strand said the tool provides insight on visitor traffic, trade-area patterns and peer-market comparisons used in business recruitment. “If we quit using it, we get rid of it; we’re just gonna pay somebody more to get the same data,” he said, arguing the service gives staff an out-of-the-door intelligence capability without hiring expensive consultants.

Council discussion included a public comment from a council member who said the company is Israeli-founded and expressed worry about pattern-of-life data and that the product’s “proprietary” elements make it difficult to know which apps contribute to the data. That member said the issue merits discussions with Congressional staff and the Navy; the chief of NCIS told staff the agency “doesn't like the collection of data” but did not object to the city's use when staff consulted with NCIS, staff said.

Economic development staff said the product is census-based and that similar data are available from other commercial providers; staff proposed exploring alternatives before the September renewal. "If there's another option, then I think that's viable," an economic-development official said; staff added they would seek other vendors if council desires.

Ending: Council did not take a final vote on the subscription during the session. Staff said the Placer AI contract runs through September and that staff will report back with options and further vendor comparisons before renewal.