Alameda council returns from closed session; interim city manager defends Flock camera data controls

The Alameda City Council returned from a closed session on Feb. 3, 2026, where city staff briefed the council on three confidential matters and the council provided direction, City Clerk Laura Weisinger reported.

Clerk Weisinger said the closed-session items included existing litigation, real property negotiations and labor negotiations. She identified the litigation as City of Alameda v. Greenway Golf Association (case number 22CV011964, Adelina County Superior Court) and described a property matter involving 2099 Grand Street in Alameda; she also reported that staff provided information and the council provided direction. The clerk’s report did not specify a public vote tally for the closed-session directions.

Back in open session, the council unanimously approved the consent calendar after a motion moved by Councilmember Dacek and seconded by Councilmember Boehler. Mayor Marilyn Eze Ashcraft called for the ayes, and the clerk recorded the vote as unanimous.

Interim City Manager Adam Pulitzer addressed recent public attention to automated license-plate-reading cameras and related systems installed in the Bay Area. “Alameda … made a conscious decision not to openly share our data with any other agency or any other entity,” Pulitzer said, adding that the city’s police chief has spoken directly with Flock’s CEO and that, according to those conversations, “our information is never sold” and the city exercises control over access. Pulitzer also stated that Flock “has not experienced any security breaches,” as reported in the meeting transcript.

Council communications covered a range of local and regional matters. A council member reported attending a Jan. 22 joint powers authority meeting where Oakland Councilmember Noel Gallo was reelected chair. Councilmember Bowler described participating in an airport noise forum and a community meeting on immigration enforcement; Vice Mayor Pryor reported volunteering in Alameda’s point-in-time count of people experiencing homelessness.

Councilmember Jensen said the StopWaste Board of Alameda County recently enacted a new fee that will appear on waste bills later this year. Jensen said the board’s staff estimate the fee will amount to about $0.30 per month for a typical residential property, with higher amounts possible for commercial accounts, and that the fee will fund countywide programs administered by haulers and local partners.

Mayor Ashcraft read a proclamation designating February 2026 as Black History Month in Alameda and highlighted library programming (including events on Feb. 12, Feb. 27 and Feb. 28) and other community activities. The mayor also reported on recent attendance at the U.S. Conference of Mayors and related meetings in Washington, D.C., and said she will pursue grant opportunities and state or federal collaboration related to housing and pedestrian safety.

The mayor announced nominations to the West Alameda Transportation Demand Management Association board — Rochelle Wheeler as member and Lisa Foster as alternate, both identified in the transcript as senior transportation coordinators in Planning, Building & Transportation — and said the council will vote on those nominations at the next meeting, which the mayor stated would be Feb. 17.

The meeting concluded at 7:27 p.m.

Notes on attribution: quotes and paraphrases above are taken from the meeting transcript and are attributed to speakers listed in the council’s record.