People hold signs rallying against Flock Safety surveillance cameras during public comment at a Santa Cruz City Council meeting on Jan. 13, 2026. (B. Sakura Cannestra — Santa Cruz Local)

SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz City Council voted 6-1 on Tuesday to end its contract with license plate camera company Flock Safety, but left the door open for a possible replacement.

The Atlanta, Georgia-based surveillance company Flock Safety has come under fire after reports surfaced that license plate data from Santa Cruz, Capitola and Watsonville have been accessed by outside agencies on behalf of federal law enforcement, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE. 

Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson and Councilmembers Susie O’Hara and Renee Golder proposed the contract termination, citing rising tensions with ICE, and weak trust in the company following Flock’s lackluster response to the data breaches. Councilmember Sonja Brunner was the sole dissenting vote. 

The contract is set to end on Feb. 12.

“Flock has made too many mistakes and Flock’s leadership has too often dismissed real, valid concern instead of responding with transparency and accountability,” O’Hara said at the meeting. “We need a partner who can take criticism seriously and redirect course.”

About 50 public commenters attended the meeting and called on the council to reject Flock, pointing to the technology’s poor data and cybersecurity. 

The city stopped short of banning all automatic license plate readers, leaving the door open for another contractor in the future, to the chagrin of most public commenters. Other local governments across the country, including Eugene Ore. and Flagstaff, Ariz. have recently ended their contracts with Flock.

Peter Gelblum, chair of the ACLU’s Santa Cruz County Chapter, said the organization supports pulling out of the contract and not searching for another contractor. He added that any future partnership with another company could be misused in a similar way and suggested that the city immediately cover or remove Flock cameras.

“Literally the only way to protect the data from being misused is to not collect it,” Gelblum said. 

Navigating privacy

Public commenters spoke at length about the cameras encroaching on everyday privacy. Given reports of cameras being hacked, many people pointed out that not only could the footage be used by federal agencies, but it could potentially be accessed by bad actors proficient in hacking.

“This system was sold as something that would make us safer,” a commenter who identified themselves as Sarah said at the meeting. “I’m here to tell you I don’t feel safe.”

Although the contract was ultimately terminated, councilmembers did voice support for the Santa Cruz Police Department’s access to updated technology like automatic license plate readers. SCPD Chief Bernie Escalante said during the meeting that the department used Flock technology to help make 26 arrests from June 2024 to September 2025.

Josh Trog, president of the Santa Cruz Police Officers Association, attended the meeting to ask for the contract to be continued, citing its efficiency in investigations.

“When officers lose effective, well-regulated tools, it affects their ability to do their jobs with confidence, precision, and consistency,” Trog said.

In response, Brunner introduced a motion to keep Flock’s contract with additional safety guidelines, including limiting data sharing access to only neighboring local counties that align with Santa Cruz’ data sharing values. The alternative motion died without a second.

The aftermath

Despite the police assurances, throughout the meeting councilmembers reiterated their distrust in Flock as a company and emphasized immigration worries under the current federal administration. Applause followed the council’s vote to cancel the contract.

Jill Clifton, a member of the Get the Flock Out campaign, said the vote was a “huge win” for Santa Cruz. She said she’s grateful councilmembers listened to resident concerns, but that the group will continue to fight any automatic license plate readers for the same privacy concerns.

“The concerns were much more tangible now, and they were willing to be open and take those up and that was a big deal,” Clifton said. “Our intention is to always create safety for everyone, and we think this is a great move for everyone.”

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