Who’s Watching Santa Cruz? Flock Safety, Surveillance, and Public Trust

Talk of the Bay’s George Cadman hosts a conversation on the controversy surrounding Flock Safety, and their cameras that appear to track more than just license-plates.  After revelations that the police have illegally shared data with ICE and other agencies, the Santa Cruz City Council will meet Tuesday, January 13th, to consider ending the contract with Flock Safety.  Can technology and government be reined in to protect our 4th amendment rights of privacy?

The city’s two-year contract is set to expire on March 27, 2026. It allows for a termination of the agreement with 30 days’ notice, which would mean the end of the contract would be Feb. 12 at the earliest if the SC City Council decides to terminate it.

Peter Gelblum is a retired attorney who has lived in the San Lorenzo Valley since 2008. As an attorney in Los Angeles for 30 years, he worked on such cases as the OJ Simpson civil case, RIAA vs. Napster, and a case involving ownership of Alberto Vargas’s artwork. He was on the Board of the ACLU of Northern California for 10 years and still serves on their Legal Committee. He has been the Chair of the Santa Cruz County Chapter of the ACLU of Northern California for over 10 years, and has been working on issues relating to ALPRs since 2015.

Julia has lived in Santa Cruz County over 25 years, and has been active in political and community organizing all her life. Coming both from a privileged background and also a place of intersectional identities, Julia leads with compassion and empathy for the struggles of all people. She has lobbied for political campaigns; organized at her alma mater UCSC; rallied with marginalized groups including LGBT+, disabled, and BIPOC communities; and is actively of service in many community organizations, including Indivisible Santa Cruz County, where she co-leads the Media Team.

Sean Dougherty has worked as a software engineer since 1999, including 7 years at IBM and 10 years at Apple, during which he worked on operating systems and hardware modeling. He recently resigned his position at Apple in order to run for office in Congressional District 19 against incumbent Jimmy Panetta. He and his wife have lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years and have a 3 year-old son.

Syd Jones is a retired security professional, residing in Santa Cruz County.

Meeting Date: January 13, 2026 Time: 2:30PM Council Chambers 809 Center Street

To participate on Tuesday’s city council meeting: https://zoom.us/j/94684401344

View Tuesday’s city council meeting live: https://www.santacruzca.gov/Government/City-Council/Council-Meetings/View-Council-Meetings

Composite graphic by local artist and musician Russell Brutsche