San Diego, CA

San Diego City Council allows license plate reader technology to continue

Published

4 weeks ago

December 10, 2025

San Diego City Council allows license plate reader technology to continue

After nearly six hours of public comment and council discussion, the San Diego City Council voted Tuesday evening to approve the continued use of 54 surveillance use policies by the San Diego Police Department.

The council voted unanimously for 52 of the policies, which included items such as SWAT robots and vehicle trackers. The remaining two items proved far more contentious.

“Smart Streetlights” and automated license plate reader technologies were the final two approved — by 6-2 and 5-3 votes, with Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell absent.

Hundreds of San Diegans spoke at the meeting, with the majority in opposition to ALPR technology, but the council took the advice of the SDPD to continue its use, physically tied to the Smart Streetlights contract approved with Ubicquia in 2024.

“These technologies have delivered consistent results, even thought we’ve had them for just a year and a half,” said Councilwoman Jennifer Campbell, who tried to downplay a recurrent fear by speakers the technology could be used by the Trump administration.

“The federal government already has all of us on their list. Thank you Elon Musk.”

ALPR technology is used as part of crime-fighting strategy that involves the identification of vehicles associated with suspects, witnesses or victims. The technology utilizes police ability to focus its investigative resources to deter crime and enhance public safety, according to the San Diego Police Department.

Speakers during the meeting — and Councilmember Henry Foster III — brought up a “breach” of the Flock Safety ALPR technology when it was first installed in the city and outside agencies were able to access information.

The future of law enforcement using those controversial license plate readers in San Diego will be decided this week. For the past two years, San Diego Police have been using the technology. NBC 7’s Adonis Albright shows us the controversy surrounding the readers and why some are worried about how the information it collects is being used.

San Diego Police Department Chief Scott Wahl, in a testy exchange with Foster, admitted the unauthorized access to the data but said it was a brief mistake that was quickly rectified by the SDPD and Flock alike.

“It was an honest miss,” Wahl said. “There was nothing nefarious there.”

The department states that since ALPR was installed in the city in 2024, the technology has assisted the SDPD in more than 600 investigations, including the recovery of at least 20 firearms, $5.8 million in stolen property involving 440 stolen vehicles and resulted in more than 420 arrests.

In the first year of ALPR use, vehicle theft dropped 20% between 2023 and 2024, police officials stated.

The Smart Streetlights System, which includes the situational cameras and the ALPR cameras, have been attached to streetlight poles throughout San Diego since last year.

Total Installation, activation and relocation costs for the Smart Streetlight Program was $3,519,300, according to the SDPD.

Every councilmember acknowledged the efficacy of ALPR technology, but some were less enthusiastic than others.

“I’m not going to deny the effectiveness if you are watching everyone, all the time,” Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera said. “Flock is a proven bad actor who is unwilling or unable to stop their technology from being abused.”

There are new concerns over immigration enforcement and the use of surveillance technology, such as the San Diego Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader technology. NBC 7’s Shelby Bremer has the details.

A major concern of public speakers and multiple councilmembers was the possibility of the ALPR technology being used by the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement specifically to terrorize the community.

“Last year, a configuration error allowed law enforcement agencies within the state of California to run license plate searches against our database for a brief amount of time,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a statement. “That breach should never have happened. We have since shut off that feature and strengthened user access, and now conduct weekly auditing of the system to ensure compliance.

“Importantly, license plate reader data is not shared with federal immigration agencies, and it cannot be used to track people seeking reproductive care. Data is only kept for 30 days, access is limited to trained users, and every search is logged and reviewed.”

The 30 days the San Diego Police Department is allowed by local law to keep the date matches La Mesa and National City as the least amount of time in the county. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Office and Coronado, Oceanside, Carlsbad and Chula Vista allow the data to be kept for a year. In Escondido, that increases to two years.

“Though I sympathize with those who worry about potential misuse of these cameras, the thought of doing away with ALPRs is short-sighted and goes against the city’s mission to protect both residents and visitors alike,” said Councilman Raul Campillo. “Also missing from the conversation: San Diego has one of the strongest use policies for this technology so data is not misused or sold, and must not allow fear to harm already-worried communities by making them less safe.”

Chief Scott Wahl sits down with NBC 7 to talk about the multi-agency investigation at a Southcrest home, as well as the information obtained by license plate reader technology.

In 2025, 20 places throughout the country have voted to disable, reject or terminate the use of Flock technology due to security complaints.

The San Diego Police Department was clear on how they envisioned the technology’s usage.

“The operation and access to ALPR data shall be for official law enforcement purposes only,” an SDPD statement read. “The San Diego Police Department will also use ALPR systems to enhance and coordinate responses to active critical incidents and public threats, safeguard the lives of community members by using this technology to locate at-risk missing persons and to protect assets and resources of the city of San Diego.”

On Nov. 5, the city’s Privacy Advisory Board issued formal recommendations that San Diego cease the use of the Flock ALPR system. On Nov. 12, the City Council’s Public Safety Committee voted unanimously to ignore the Privacy Advisory Board recommendation.

Concerns outside the city’s borders include El Cajon’s willingness to share ALPR technology with federal law enforcement, which drew a lawsuit from California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

The Attorney General’s Office sued El Cajon in October for allegedly violating state law by sharing the data with federal authorities and law enforcement officials in more than two dozen other states.

The suit filed in San Diego Superior Court alleges that El Cajon has flouted Senate Bill 34, a 2015 law prohibiting ALPR-data sharing with out-of- state law enforcement agencies despite the California Department of Justice contacting El Cajon’s police chief over the issue.

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San Diego, CA

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

Published

5 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Barricaded individual in custody following police response in Mission Valley

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Police responded to a barricaded individual in the Mission Valley area Thursday afternoon, prompting a heavy law enforcement presence.

The Nexstar Media video above details resources for crime victims

The department confirmed around 1 p.m. that officers were on scene in the 1400 block of Hotel Circle North, and are working to safely resolve the situation. Authorities asked the public to avoid the area and allow officers the space needed to conduct their operations.

Police described the incident as a domestic violence restraining order violation. At this time, it’s unknown if the person is armed.

No injuries have been reported.

The suspect was taken into custody within an hour.

Further details about the barricaded person were not immediately released. Police say updates will be shared as more information becomes available.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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San Diego, CA

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano

Published

17 hours ago

January 8, 2026

Press Room

Padres roster review: Luis Campusano – San Diego Union-Tribune

LUIS CAMPUSANO

Position(s): Catcher
Bats / Throws: Right / Right
2026 opening day age: 27
Height / Weight: 5-foot-10 / 232 pounds
How acquired: Second round of the draft in 2017 (Cross Creek HS, Ga.)
Contract status: Will make $900,000 after agreeing to a one-year deal to avoid arbitration; Will not be a free agent until 2029.
fWAR in 2025: Minus-0.4
Key 2025 stats: .000 AVG, .222 OBP, .000 SLG, 0 HRs, 0 RBIs, 0 runs, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts, 0 steals (10 games, 27 plate appearances)

STAT TO NOTE

1 — The number of plate appearances for Campusano while in the majors between June 1 and June 13 and the one at-bat resulted in a weak, pinch-hit groundout against a position player (Kike Hernandez) on the mound in mop-up duty. Campusano was recalled to the majors four times in 2025 but did not get a real opportunity get settled after he went 0-for-6 with four walks and a strikeout in three straight starts as a DH in early May. Of course, hitting .227/.281/.361 with eight homers over 299 plate appearances after getting the first real chance to start in 2024 likely informed how the Padres viewed his opportunity in 2025.

Down — Called up a final time on the last day of the regular season, Campusano balked at the idea that the season did not go the way he wanted. “I had a great season,” he said as he and his teammates packed for the NL Wild Card Series in Chicago. And he did … for Triple-A El Paso. He hit more home runs than ever (25), drove in more runs (95) and finished with a career-high 1.036 OPS, tops among all qualifying Triple-A hitters. The disappointment inferred in the question posed to Campusano was that he was not able to impact the big-league team in any way in 2025, which began with the team choosing to bring in a 40-year-old Yuli Gurriel a chance on the opening day roster over a homegrown product. Once billed as the catcher of the future, Campusno did not catch a single game in the majors, nor did he get any hits, although the opportunity to play was sporadic after getting three straight starts as a DH in early May (see stat to note). The Padres even lost back-up catcher Elias Díaz to an oblique injury over the final weekend of the regular season, but Campusano — who played out the string for a Triple-A El Paso team that did not make the playoffs rather than participate in the majors as a September call-up — was added to the postseason roster more as a right-handed bat than a third catcher (Martín Maldonado was also re-added to the team for the playoffs as the defensive back-up to Freddy Fermin). Campusano, of course, was not asked to help the team in either capacity before the Padres were eliminated in three games.

2026 OUTLOOK

Campusano is finally out of minor league options this year, so the Padres will either have to carry him on the roster, trade him or expose him to waivers. He has fans in the organization, but two big-league staffs headed by Bob Melvin and Mike Shildt seemingly lost faith in his ability to catch a game and all the responsibilities that come with that. It remains to be seen what impact the arrival of robo umps will have on how new manager Craig Stammen views Campusano’s ability behind the plate, but he’s been a potent minor league hitter who has yet to truly get on track in the majors beyond the second half of 2023 (.875 OPS, 6 HRs). Campusano has dabbled at first base in recent years in the minors (12 starts total), so perhaps he settles into a role as a second catcher/right-handed DH/first base option to start 2026.

Luis Campusano #15 of the San Diego Padres and Nick Pivetta #27 walk to the dugout during a practice before the Wildcard series against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Sept. 29, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

ROSTER RANKINGS

22. C Luis Campusano
23. LHP Yuki Matsui
24. INF Sung-Mun Song
25. RHP Matt Waldron
26. OF Bryce Johnson
27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
29. LHP Kyle Hart
30. RHP Jhony Brito
31. INF Will Wagner
32. OF Tirso Ornelas
33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
34. RHP Miguel Mendez
35. RHP Daison Acosta
36. RHP Ty Adcock
37. RHP Alek Jacob
38. INF Mason McCoy

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San Diego, CA

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

Published

1 day ago

January 7, 2026

Press Room

2 San Diego Eateries Named Among ‘Most Beautiful New Restaurants’ In America

SAN DIEGO, CA — Two San Diego County eateries were named among the most beautiful restaurants that opened last year in the country.

Carlsbad-based Lilo was ranked No. 4 and La Jolla-based Lucien was ranked No. 9 on Robb Report’s list of the most beautiful new restaurants in the U.S. for 2025.

Lilo, which opened in April, features a multi-course tasting menu served around a 24-seat chef’s counter.

The restaurant, co-owned by Chef Eric Bost and John Resnick, earned a Michelin star just months after opening its doors. The eatery was also the only one in San Diego to land on The New York Times list of the 50 best restaurants in America.

Lucien, which opened in July, also offers a chef’s tasting menu, with more than a dozen courses. The 30-seat restaurant, is owned and helmed by Northern California native Chef Elijah Arizmendi, along with partners Brian Hung and Melissa Lang.

“I’m very grateful for the recognition from Robb Report,” Arizmendi told Patch. “Lucien is deeply personal to me, and the space was designed as an extension of my philosophy — one centered on intention, hospitality and the joy of sharing something meaningful to others.”

The list spotlights 21 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City and other cities across the country. View the full report here.

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