Costa Mesa City Council Meeting July 21, 2026

The City of Costa Mesa held a City Council meeting on July 21, 2026, which included a detailed presentation and extensive public discussion regarding the use of Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology by the Costa Mesa Police Department. The police department provided an overview of the system's capabilities, benefits in solving crimes, and addressed concerns about privacy, data sharing, and misuse, including a past incident of unauthorized use by a former officer. The contract with Flock Safety, costing approximately $151,800 annually, is set to expire in April 2027. Council members engaged in a thorough question-and-answer session about data retention, access controls, and legal safeguards. Public comments overwhelmingly expressed concerns about privacy, potential misuse, and the impact on immigrant and minority communities, with many urging the council to cancel the contract. In response, a motion was made and passed to cancel the existing contract and direct the city attorney to negotiate revisions to strengthen data protections, limit data retention to 45 days, require notification of data requests, and remove ambiguous contract language. The council agreed to revisit the contract with proposed amendments before the next renewal date. The meeting also included discussions on scheduling for subsequent agenda items due to the late hour.