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Residents urge Napa council to adopt sanctuary protections, cancel Flock camera contract
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Summary
During public comment on April 7, multiple community members and organizers urged the Napa City Council to declare sanctuary‑city policies, stop using city buildings for immigration enforcement, and terminate the city's Flock automated license‑plate reader (ALPR) contract; the police chief responded that Napa PD does not participate in federal immigration enforcement and that department records show no sharing with federal agencies.
Several residents and community organizers told the Napa City Council on April 7 they are living in fear due to recent immigration enforcement activity and urged the city to adopt stronger local protections and to terminate its contract with Flock Safety, the company that provides automated license‑plate readers (ALPRs).
“My name is Omar,” said a CSO North Bay representative, recounting door‑knock outreach that found families afraid to leave their homes because of immigration enforcement. He asked the council for “zero use of city buildings, resources, or property for immigration enforcement purposes” and for the city not to coordinate with federal agencies to transport people from local custody.
Legal observer Xander said community trust falls when local policing appears to funnel people into federal immigration enforcement, and urged an eviction moratorium and cancellation of the Flock contract pending an independent audit and disclosure of camera costs. “We're asking that Napa cancels the contract with Flock because the continued surveillance of our neighbors…will only make our city less safe,” Xander said.
Resident Risa said she would deliver a petition signed by more than 30 local businesses supporting sanctuary status and asked the council to “completely cut off access to that possibility and also protect our community members from ICE monitoring.”
In response, Napa Police Chief Rodriguez told the council the department adheres to California law including the California Values Act, does not detain or arrest people for immigration violations, does not inquire into immigration status for enforcement, and “we do not partner with federal authorities or assist federal agencies with immigration enforcement.” The chief said the department maintains a Flock transparency page listing cameras, permitted uses, retention periods and sharing partners, and that Flock has disabled out‑of‑state sharing; he said the department has no evidence that its ALPR data has been shared with federal agencies.
The council took no formal action on the requests during the meeting; public comment was recorded and will inform future policy conversations.
