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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Elk Grove City Council Discusses ALPR Technology at September 9, 2026 Regular Meeting

Other — Wednesday, September 9, 2026

BodyElkgrove, California

SessionOther

DateWednesday, September 9, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 3:40:19

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:00

All right, thank you.

0:02

We have reconvened from our closed session and uh by a five to zero vote.

0:07

The city council authorized and direct of the city attorney's office to defend the case of Nassar v.

0:13

Hana and all as identified by the case number on the city council meeting agenda.

0:19

With that, I will adjourn the special meeting at 6.28 p.m.

0:24

And now it'll turn over to our regular meeting.

0:27

At this time, I would like to call to order the Elkgrove City Council regular meeting.

0:31

Today is Wednesday, September 9th, 2026, and the time is 6.29 p.m.

0:37

Clerk.

0:39

Thank you, Mayor.

0:40

This meeting of the Elk Grove City Council is recorded with closed captioning.

0:43

The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems.

0:51

The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14Live.gov.

0:56

Tonight's meeting replays will be on Monday, September 14th at 1 p.m.

1:00

and Wednesday, September 16th at 9 a.m.

1:02

and on Metro Channel 14.

1:04

Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand at the 3Ws.elkgrove.gov or YouTube.com slash Metro Cable 14.

1:14

For members of the participating audience who may have personal electronic devices, please place them on silent mode during the meeting or on mute when you are not speaking.

1:33

City Council reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment on any particular notice agenda item as it may deem necessary.

1:40

Pursuant to resolution number 2026-099.

1:43

No individual speaker concerning public comment may address the city council for more than three minutes per item.

1:48

If you wish to address the council during the meeting, please complete a blue speaker card, which can be found at the back of the chamber and provide it to assistant city clerk, Brenda Haggard, prior to consideration of the agenda item.

1:58

And for our folks that are participating in our Zoom environment, you would use that raise hand feature as we move through our agenda, and we will have prompts for when we are to the particular parts of the agenda where we have public comment opportunities.

2:10

And so that raise hand feature is what will put you in the queue for our folks that are attending online.

2:15

Speaking of folks attending online for this evening, we have by remote participation Vice Mayor Darren Suan.

2:22

And just wanted to make sure, Vice Mayor, if you want to unmute yourself and just give us a sound check just to make sure we got you dialed in.

2:28

Yeah, thanks, Jason.

2:30

Uh uh Darren Soon here, Vice Mayor.

2:33

Um, there's no one uh in in the room or around me.

2:37

Uh period.

2:40

Thank you.

2:41

Thank you for that.

2:42

And that's part of our government regulation, is just for the vice mayor to verify that there are no individuals over the age of 18 with him from where he's participating from, and he is participating as part of just cause for travel with uh affiliated with a business uh matters with a local agency that he serves on.

2:58

So with that, I will be moving forward into our roll call for this evening.

3:02

And for the roll call, I will start with Councilmember Robles.

3:06

Present.

3:06

Councilmember Speeze Present.

3:08

Councilmember Brewer.

3:09

Present.

3:10

Vice Mayor Suan here.

3:12

And Mayor Sing Allen.

3:14

We have a quorum.

3:16

All right, thank you.

3:17

Next up is our land acknowledgement.

3:19

Would Councilmember Roblis please read the land acknowledgement this evening?

3:26

Thank you, Madam Mayor.

3:29

We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elkgrove's first inhabitants, the Plain Mewoks, who lived as sovereign caretakers of this land in these waters since time memorial.

3:38

We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Woolton Rancheria tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County who endured because of the bravery, resilience, determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders.

3:53

Thank you.

3:54

Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance.

3:55

Uh Councilmember Spees, please lead us.

3:59

And over heart.

4:06

And to the Republic for which it stands.

4:14

Thank you.

4:17

At this time, please join us for a brief moment of silence.

4:26

All right.

4:27

Next up is our approval of the agenda.

4:29

May I get a motion?

4:30

Second.

4:31

All moved.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety██████████████████████████████████████████42%

Technology and Innovation██████████████████████████████30%

Public Comment████████8%

Procedural██████6%

Rural Preservation████4%

Public Engagement██2%

Community Engagement██2%

Youth Development█1%

Land Use Planning█1%

Summary of Proceedings

Elk Grove City Council Regular Meeting – September 9, 2026

The Elk Grove City Council held a regular meeting on Wednesday, September 9, 2026, beginning at 6:29 p.m. after a brief closed session (not listed on the agenda). The meeting included a presentation on Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) technology, extensive public comment on the topic and on rural preservation, and routine consent calendar approvals.

Consent Calendar

Approved 5-0: Minutes of August 26, 2026; City Manager purchases report; RFP report; Monthly Investment Report; Ordinance No. 08-2026 imposing a two-year moratorium on new Personal Storage Facility entitlements (second reading); resolution for a Historic Preservation Fund Grant ($10,500); resolution to amend contract with Changing Environments, Inc. (adding up to $286,200); resolution authorizing City Manager to execute contracts for citywide technology services.

Public Comments & Testimony

Non‑agenda public comment (prior to ALPR item):
- Multiple residents spoke in opposition to ALPRs, citing privacy concerns, state law violations, and Flock’s track record. Speakers included Lindsay Halsell (DFLOC Elk Grove), Sappy, and others. They called for an independent audit and town hall.
- Several residents spoke in favor of preserving rural Elk Grove, opposing the Summer Villas development. Speakers (Constance Conley, Eileen Conwell, George Murphy, Carlos Zamaripa, Amelia Van Carrea) presented a “Rural Roots” booklet and urged the Council to uphold the General Plan.
Public comment on Item 9.1 (ALPR presentation):
- In‑person speakers: Many opposed continued use of Flock/ALPRs, including Lindsay Halsell (reiterated concerns about data retention discrepancies and Flock’s business practices), Ellen (cited 8.3 million outside searches, requested an end to the contract), Sophia Singh, Justin Gee, Allison Randall (questioned effectiveness), and others. Some speakers noted they want crimes solved but oppose mass surveillance. A Parkgate neighborhood watch coordinator (Ricky Paul) expressed support for privately funded ALPRs in his community.
- Online speakers: Dan, Brian Hofer (Secure Justice), and others raised concerns about Fourth Amendment violations, Flock’s data practices, and 180 officer misuse cases nationwide. Several urged cancellation of the Flock contract.

Discussion Items

9.1 – ALPR Technology Presentation: Police Chief Bobby Davis and RTIC Manager Andrea Cortez gave a comprehensive overview of the ALPR program. They defined ALPR functionality, reviewed program history (2008–2026), outlined safeguards and audit procedures, and addressed data‑sharing concerns. They emphasized that Elk Grove PD does not use facial recognition, continuously track vehicles, or share data with out‑of‑state/federal entities after 2024. Sheriff Jim Cooper and District Attorney Tien Ho spoke in support, emphasizing the technology’s role in solving homicides, human trafficking, and other crimes. The presentation included case studies and noted that Flock data is retained for 30 days per contract, though a city policy (Section 462.4) states a minimum one‑year retention for downloaded data – a discrepancy noted by speakers.

Key Outcomes

No formal action taken: The item was informational only.
Council comments: Councilmembers expressed general support for continued ALPR use with robust safeguards. Councilmember Spees asked for more explicit audit timelines (suggesting no longer than 90 days) and a public dashboard showing search requests vs. returns. He also requested the vendor disable the “people search” radio button. Councilmember Robles and Brewer highlighted the technology’s benefits for public safety and victim justice. Vice Mayor Suen and Mayor Singh‑Allen stressed the need to balance public safety with privacy, noting that state legislation (SB 1013) attempt to impose similar safeguards failed. The Mayor noted that Elk Grove’s current practices already align with many proposed protections.
Next steps: The Police Department will continue to refine policies, formalize audit procedures through an internal ALPR committee, and evaluate other vendors (Axon trial underway). A more detailed report on audit frequency, access controls, and data sharing is expected.

Meeting Transcript

All right, thank you. We have reconvened from our closed session and uh by a five to zero vote. The city council authorized and direct of the city attorney's office to defend the case of Nassar v. Hana and all as identified by the case number on the city council meeting agenda. With that, I will adjourn the special meeting at 6.28 p.m. And now it'll turn over to our regular meeting. At this time, I would like to call to order the Elkgrove City Council regular meeting. Today is Wednesday, September 9th, 2026, and the time is 6.29 p.m. Clerk. Thank you, Mayor. This meeting of the Elk Grove City Council is recorded with closed captioning. The recording will be cable cast on Metro Cable Channel 14, the local government affairs channel on the Comcast and Direct TV Uverse Cable Systems. The recording will also be video streamed at Metro14Live.gov. Tonight's meeting replays will be on Monday, September 14th at 1 p.m. and Wednesday, September 16th at 9 a.m. and on Metro Channel 14. Once posted, the recordings of this and previous meetings can be viewed on demand at the 3Ws.elkgrove.gov or YouTube.com slash Metro Cable 14. For members of the participating audience who may have personal electronic devices, please place them on silent mode during the meeting or on mute when you are not speaking. City Council reserves the right to reasonably limit the total time for public comment on any particular notice agenda item as it may deem necessary. Pursuant to resolution number 2026-099. No individual speaker concerning public comment may address the city council for more than three minutes per item. If you wish to address the council during the meeting, please complete a blue speaker card, which can be found at the back of the chamber and provide it to assistant city clerk, Brenda Haggard, prior to consideration of the agenda item. And for our folks that are participating in our Zoom environment, you would use that raise hand feature as we move through our agenda, and we will have prompts for when we are to the particular parts of the agenda where we have public comment opportunities. And so that raise hand feature is what will put you in the queue for our folks that are attending online. Speaking of folks attending online for this evening, we have by remote participation Vice Mayor Darren Suan. And just wanted to make sure, Vice Mayor, if you want to unmute yourself and just give us a sound check just to make sure we got you dialed in. Yeah, thanks, Jason. Uh uh Darren Soon here, Vice Mayor. Um, there's no one uh in in the room or around me. Uh period. Thank you. Thank you for that. And that's part of our government regulation, is just for the vice mayor to verify that there are no individuals over the age of 18 with him from where he's participating from, and he is participating as part of just cause for travel with uh affiliated with a business uh matters with a local agency that he serves on. So with that, I will be moving forward into our roll call for this evening. And for the roll call, I will start with Councilmember Robles. Present. Councilmember Speeze Present. Councilmember Brewer. Present. Vice Mayor Suan here. And Mayor Sing Allen. We have a quorum. All right, thank you. Next up is our land acknowledgement. Would Councilmember Roblis please read the land acknowledgement this evening? Thank you, Madam Mayor. We honor, respect, and acknowledge Elkgrove's first inhabitants, the Plain Mewoks, who lived as sovereign caretakers of this land in these waters since time memorial. We commemorate and advocate for their descendants, the Woolton Rancheria tribe, the only federally recognized tribe in Sacramento County who endured because of the bravery, resilience, determination of their ancestors, tribal members, and leaders. Thank you. Next up is our Pledge of Allegiance.

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