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Resident group urges Lakewood to bolster Gary Oak protections and pause Flock Safety cameras
Summary
At council public comment, Christina Manetti of the Gary Oak Coalition described severe pruning of protected Gary Oaks and urged the council to enact stronger tree protections and penalties; she also urged an immediate suspension and public review of the city's Flock Safety license-plate camera program citing data‑access concerns.
During the council's public comment period, Christina Manetti, speaking for the Gary Oak Coalition and as a Lakewood resident, described what she called "mutilation" of protected Gary Oak trees in multiple neighborhoods and urged the city to take immediate action to prevent further loss.
Manetti said workers at one site near Meadow and Ardmore claimed they were pruning but that accompanying photos (submitted to council) showed extreme cutting that threatens the trees' survival. "Such so‑called pruning is mutilation that threatens the health and survival of these ecologically and culturally important irreplaceable specimens," she said. She urged the council to require pruning only by certified arborists (or enable the city to develop a certification program with professional arborous organizations and WDFW participation), to impose significant penalties for unauthorized or harmful pruning, and to run a public education campaign so owners, property managers and contractors understand acceptable maintenance.
Separately, Manetti urged Lakewood to suspend use of Flock Safety automated license‑plate readers immediately and to reject any expansion of similar programs. She cited a University of Washington report and examples from Redmond, Lynnwood and a county sheriff's office that paused or disabled Flock systems amid concerns about data access and public‑records exposure. "The fact that the camera's data is stored on a privately owned company's servers is a glaring problem," she said, adding that unauthorized access had already occurred in other jurisdictions.
Resident James Dunlop, who also commented during public testimony, echoed calls to protect trees and suggested the city create a survey or inventory of Gary Oaks to track and protect the resource.
There was no staff response recorded in the public comment portion of the meeting; the council did not take immediate action during this session. The comments were added to the public record for council consideration as staff continue regular code and permitting work.
