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Residents urge Costa Mesa to cancel Flock license-plate reader contract, cite privacy and legal concerns
Summary
Dozens of residents told the City Council Aug. 4 to terminate the city's contract with Flock Safety, arguing the ALPR (automatic license plate reader) system was deployed without the public hearing required by California Senate Bill 34 and has been misused locally. Speakers demanded removal of cameras and stronger transparency measures.
Dozens of residents packed the public-comment period at the Aug. 4 Costa Mesa City Council meeting to demand the city cancel its contract with Flock Safety and remove automatic license-plate readers (ALPRs) installed around town.
"Costa Mesa didn't even put the flock program on the agenda before approving it," said Rachel, a Costa Mesa resident, who told the council she and others had requested a public hearing before implementation and cited California Senate Bill 34. "It passed with 0 public hearing, and the expansion was pushed through on the consent calendar." She said constituents brought evidence of data-sharing risks and misuse and called the council’s response insufficient.
Other speakers described specific incidents they said show the system’s potential for abuse. "Flock operated a vast nationwide network where data crosses through city lines and federal agencies," Carly Dean, an Orange County resident, said, urging the council to "remove all of the 46 license-plate readers from our streets." Multiple speakers referenced a former Costa Mesa officer who allegedly used access to the department’s Flock portal to track private individuals; Carly Dean said records show the officer remained logged into the department portal months after being placed on administrative leave.
Councilmembers acknowledged the volume of public concern and said they were reviewing next steps. Councilman Casimir Reynolds thanked residents for continued engagement and said he had met with the police department and remained "very concerned" about vulnerabilities in the system: "I do remain very concerned... about the vulnerabilities and our limited ability to protect it from abuse," he said.
Speakers repeatedly asked the city to treat prior public comment as the legally required hearing under SB 34 and urged immediate termination and removal of equipment. Several community organizers reminded the council that other cities have canceled Flock contracts and warned of legal exposure and future lawsuits if the city retains the system.
The council did not take a vote on the Flock contract at the Aug. 4 meeting; Mayor Pro Tem Chavez and others said the topic would appear as a new-business item for further discussion before the November election. Councilmembers asked staff and the city attorney to provide clarifying information, including potential SB 34 compliance and procurement details, at an upcoming meeting.
