Overview
- The council majority, which voted Tuesday to pull a planned review of its Flock license‑plate camera contract, removed the item at the start of the meeting after calling it duplicative and a waste of time.
- Councilmembers Martha Barragan, Mark Dinan, and Mayor Webster Lincoln backed the removal, while dozens of residents who came to speak were left without a forum.
- Residents packed City Hall to protest the automated license‑plate readers, which capture plate images and short video clips kept for about 30 days in a 25‑camera network.
- City records show Flock sought a three‑year deal paid in full with no right to terminate, while staff recommended a one‑year, cancel‑at‑will extension under the 2024 pilot terms for about $92,000.
- Police Chief Jeff Liu said audits show no federal access to East Palo Alto data and credited the system with recent arrests, even as cities like Mountain View ended Flock use after finding unauthorized searches, and Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica said he will try to bring the review back on April 21.