July 11
After several policy revisions, with input from community members and council, the City Council approved a one-year pilot program contract for 15 Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) cameras.
Public expectation is that the legal wording in the contract with FLOCK, the organization that stores the camera footage, will be clear and detailed so that community member’s rights are preserved.
To address Council member concerns, time-stamped footage is to be deleted every thirty days unless it is needed for an on-going investigation. If there is a data breach, the public will be notified within twenty-four hours. If federal law is changed and in conflict with state and local California law, the use of ALPR cameras would be suspended.
The updated policy includes precise language to address usage and privacy concerns discussed at the meeting:
- Any data is only collected for official use of the Los Altos Police Department.
- Such data is not open to public view, as it may contain confidential information.
- The data is not shared for any purpose that violates the LAPD policy or any applicable laws and regulations.
- LAPD cannot share data that would assist another state to carry out enforcement actions that violate California laws.
Finally, the following uses of the ALPR system are specifically prohibited: invasion of privacy, harassment or intimidation, violation of First Amendment rights, use by the system based on characteristics such as race, gender identity, disability, and other specific groups identified as protected.
The City Council approved letters to CA Senator Weiner to support SB 4, which provides for affordable housing on faith and higher education lands, if it is amended to not impose any additional restrictions on a local jurisdiction's ability to determine maximum building heights and parking requirements. The letter of support for SB 423 ensures that the successful provisions of SB 35 continue to streamline affordable housing where it’s needed most, while maintaining local planning.
The City Council discussed the Council Travel Policy to clarify concerns about the correct uses of a limited travel budget. California Assembly Bill 1234 contains requirements relating to elected official travel expenses. Local agencies are required to adopt expense reimbursement policies that specify the kinds of activities that will be reimbursable and to require that all expenses reported include receipts as these documents are public records.
Staff have clear regulations for travel, but council members expressed unease about how travel expenses are to be reimbursed this year for elected officials. For example, who selects council members to attend conferences and which expenses qualify for reimbursement by the city topped the discussion. To align with the budget, staff were directed to revise the travel policies for elected officials.
Claire Noonan, Observer