City Council Meeting 10/7/2026

The City of Ridgecrest City Council meeting was held October 7, 2026. The main procurement-related discussion concerned the Police Department’s Flock automated license plate reader (ALPR) system. The chief described recently negotiated changes to the vendor contract, including limits on Flock’s ability to disclose city data, advance notice and city review for certain requests, and restrictions on federal and out-of-state access; he said five of seven requested changes were obtained. The discussion also covered system security, data retention, access auditing, and public oversight. Residents urged the council to cancel the contract or impose additional safeguards, and one caller cited a two-year cost of $150,100. Council members voiced support for continued use while acknowledging privacy concerns, but no motion or vote to renew, cancel, or otherwise change the contract was recorded. The contract was said to expire in 2028. A resident-proposed draft ordinance on ALPR safeguards was offered for review, with no action taken.

The Measure L/V and Measure P oversight report reviewed FY2025 spending. Measure V supported a patrol truck, code-enforcement truck, prisoner-transport vehicle, water truck, loader, and traffic-control truck; about 85% of its reported expenditures went to street maintenance. The presenter said Measure V and P revenues were down, with Measure V sales-tax revenue declining by about $400,000, and recommended monitoring reserves. Measure P funded the county fire contract, four police officers and other police positions, public outreach, and engineering costs for the pool project. Separately, the council approved first readings of housing-related zoning ordinances implementing state housing-element requirements, including reduced parking requirements for certain new affordable and supportive housing developments; these were policy actions, not contract awards.