Flock Camera Debate Draws 55 Speakers but No Resolution as Council Runs Out of Time

Richmond's City Council convened for a marathon session that stretched past six hours, anchored by a deeply divided public debate over whether to restore the city's deactivated Flock Safety surveillance cameras. The council never reached a vote — adjourning before deliberation could begin — leaving the cameras off. Elsewhere, members allocated $8.2 million in surplus funds to streets, pensions, and a new emergency pot for unhoused residents, and received a clean financial audit.

• Flock surveillance cameras remain off after 55+ speakers clashed over crime-fighting technology vs. sanctuary city protections; council ran out of time to act

• $8.2M in unspent funds approved for complete streets, pension trusts, Point Molate monitoring, and $50K carved out for emergency unhoused services

• Clean financial audit delivered with no material weaknesses; pension and OPEB liabilities continue declining

• War Powers Resolution letter sent to Congress opposing unauthorized military action against Iran, approved as emergency item with two abstentions

• Vice Mayor Robinson wins emergency unhoused funding after exposing gaps in grant-funded encampment services

No Flock Decision in Sight

More than 55 residents, advocates, union leaders, and nonprofit representatives packed the council chamber — or called in — to weigh in on whether Richmond should restore a suite of Flock Safety surveillance tools that Police Chief Timothy Simmons voluntarily deactivated in November 2025. The meeting adjourned before the council could deliberate or vote, leaving the automated license plate readers (ALPRs), CCTV cameras, and drone-as-first-responder program offline indefinitely.

Why it matters: Since the cameras went dark, stolen vehicles have increased roughly 30%, and the police department says 48 cases — including two homicides, eight shootings, and an active juvenile human trafficking investigation — could have benefited from ALPR data. But for Richmond's sizable immigrant community, the cameras represent a different kind of threat: documented data-sharing breaches that may have exposed residents to federal immigration enforcement.

Where things stand: Chief Simmons told the council he shut the system down the moment he discovered that a national lookup feature in Flock's platform had created unintended two-way data sharing with outside agencies — a violation of the city's closed-network commitment.

"The moment I found out that was the case, I took immediate action that very day to decide to turn the cameras off," said Chief Simmons.

Simmons recommended what he called Option A: a transitional contract extension through year-end with cameras reactivated, monthly audits by the city's Community Police Review Commission, a third-party annual auditor, and a full reevaluation in December. He also disclosed that the city has issued an RFP for alternative vendors.

To address the data-sharing violation, Simmons said he negotiated a contract amendment unique to Richmond imposing a $290,000-per-violation penalty if Flock causes unauthorized sharing of information. He noted Flock has also removed its national lookup feature from all California systems and blocked keyword searches related to immigration, Customs and Border Protection, and Planned Parenthood.

"Public safety and civil liberties are not mutually exclusive ideas. In fact, they must coexist if we are to maintain the trust that is foundational for effective policing," Chief Simmons said in his opening remarks.

The chief also described an active juvenile human trafficking case in which ALPR technology would help locate the victim's vehicle — underscoring the operational cost of keeping the cameras off.

A Community Sharply Split

Supporters — including the Richmond Police Officers Association, the Richmond branch NAACP, the Bay Area Council, and local business associations — framed the issue as a public safety imperative for an understaffed department.

Willie Robinson, president of the Richmond branch NAACP, drew on personal experience as a Black man from the South who relied on the federal government for civil rights protections, arguing the data supports Flock as a beneficial safety tool.

Oscar Garcia, president of the 23rd Street Merchants Association, supported Option A, citing the 33% increase in car thefts and thanking the chief for protecting the immigrant community while working to reimpliment the cameras.

Opponents — including Reimagine Richmond, the Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN), ACE/RPA, the Safe Return Project, Secure Justice, the Multicultural Institute, and East Bay Sanctuary Covenant — argued that contractual penalties cannot fix a company with a pattern of breaches and that mass surveillance disproportionately harms Black, Brown, and immigrant communities.

Brian Hofer of Secure Justice delivered the most legally pointed testimony, stating that 40 jurisdictions have terminated Flock contracts in the past six months. He claimed more than 2,700 non-California agencies accessed Richmond's data tens of thousands of times in violation of SB 34, potentially exposing the city to tens of millions of dollars in statutory penalties. He noted Flock faces four class-action lawsuits, including one in Contra Costa County.

Ryan Cousin, an Iron Triangle resident and crime victim, opposed the contract, arguing the council cannot claim to oppose ICE while supporting a company whose technology is used for immigration enforcement elsewhere. Cousin cited a Texas case in which a sheriff used the technology to track women who had abortions.

Rocky Chu of APEN credited life-affirming community investments — not surveillance — for his neighborhood's improved safety, noting Richmond currently has its lowest homicide rates in city history.

Melvin Willis of ACE/RPA argued that Richmond's 2018 sanctuary ordinance prohibits doing business with vendors that share data with ICE, citing documented breaches in Ventura, El Cerrito, and Mountain View.

The Mayor Weighs In — Then Time Runs Out

Mayor Eduardo Martinez offered his own assessment of Flock as a company before the meeting hit its time limit.

"As Maya Angelou famously said, when someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time," Mayor Martinez said.

Martinez moved to continue the meeting to the following morning to complete the Flock item, but the motion failed 3-4 (For: Brown, Bana, Zepeda; Against: Jimenez, Wilson, Robinson, Martinez's own motion notwithstanding — the mayor voted yes but the remaining four members voted no).

City Manager Shasta Curl noted after adjournment that items W2, W4, and W5 were also continued to a future meeting due to the extended Flock discussion.

What's next: The Flock item will return at a future council meeting. In the meantime, ALPR cameras remain deactivated, the RFP for alternative vendors is open, and the legal exposure identified by Secure Justice remains unaddressed.

Council Allocates $8.2M Surplus With Emergency Carve-Out for Unhoused

The council voted 6-1 to appropriate $8,213,680 in unspent general funds from FY 2024-25 — but not before Vice Mayor Doria Robinson forced an amendment redirecting $50,000 to emergency services for unhoused residents.

The basics: The city's general fund closed with an unassigned balance of $62.8 million — about 24% of expenditures, exceeding the 21% reserve requirement by roughly $8.2 million. Finance Director Emily Combs recommended allocating 10% each to pension and OPEB Section 115 trusts (~$821,000 each), $250,000 for Point Molate environmental monitoring, and $6.32 million for complete streets improvements including sidewalks, crosswalks, lighting, landscaping, and pavement maintenance.

Combs warned that rising costs may shrink future surpluses: the city has grown from 590 to 665 full-time employees since 2021 — a 12.7% increase — while health insurance premiums have risen 40–44%.

Robinson Exposes Service Gaps

Vice Mayor Robinson pressed staff on why existing unhoused services leave so many encampment residents without help, revealing that current grants carry narrow jurisdictional requirements — covering, for example, only highway-adjacent sites — while encampments grow along Carlson Boulevard and elsewhere.

"Many, many, many people who are unhoused do not have emergency support because our emergency funds are exhausted," Vice Mayor Robinson said.

City Manager Curl confirmed that a nonprofit partner had stopped performing contracted work, creating service gaps. A deputy finance director identified $259,000 remaining in the existing reimagined public safety unhoused intervention budget. Robinson found the proposed 90-day timeline for a new plan unacceptable.

"It's heart-wrenching to see people in the condition that they are on the streets, and then to wait 90 days to address it seems unreasonable," Vice Mayor Robinson said.

Robinson's amendment to redirect $50,000 from the Complete Streets line to emergency unhoused services was incorporated into the final motion, reducing the streets allocation to $6,270,944.

Council Members Push Neighborhood Priorities

Councilmember Soheila Bana cited the 2010 Parks Master Plan, which states that LeMoyne Park — commonly known as Cheese Park — "must, in capital letters, must have bathrooms," pressing for restroom facilities in District 4.

Councilmember Sue Wilson flagged a half-mile stretch of darkness on Carlson Boulevard and questioned why consistent budget surpluses cannot be used for recurring staffing needs. "Every time there's a surplus, I'm going to raise the fact that while I'm glad there's a surplus, when we are given a surplus, we can only spend it on one-time expenses," Councilmember Wilson said.

Councilmember Cesar Zepeda emphasized equitable distribution of tree canopy and solar lighting across districts. Councilmember Claudia Jimenez urged that complete streets improvements be integrated with the city's paving schedule for efficiency.

Public commenter Keisha Gallon requested funds for paving near the El Sobrante/Brighter Futures area, citing dangerous potholes.

Decisions: The amended resolution passed 6-1 (For: Bana, Jimenez, Wilson, Robinson, Zepeda, Martinez; Against: Brown). Curl committed to having Chief Simmons and a director develop a plan to address unhoused service gaps in collaboration with Contra Costa County's coordinated entry program.

Clean Financial Audit Shows Declining Liabilities, but Pension Obligations Persist

Ahmed Badawi of Badawi and Associates presented the FY 2025 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, giving Richmond an unmodified — or "clean" — opinion on its financial statements with no material weaknesses in internal controls.

Why it matters: Tax revenues have consistently exceeded the net cost of services over three years, and the general fund holds approximately four months of expenditure coverage from its unrestricted fund balance. Pension liability stands at approximately $356 million, though it fluctuates between $220 million and $520 million depending on the discount rate used. OPEB (retiree health benefit) liabilities continue declining.

Councilmember Zepeda praised the downward trajectory on both pension and OPEB obligations. Badawi noted that GASB 103 will bring significant changes to government financial reporting starting in 2026.

The auditor issued a disclaimer of opinion on the Richmond Housing Authority, whose audits dating to 2021 remain ongoing. City Manager Curl noted that the city manages approximately 160 grants totaling several hundred million dollars with generally strong compliance, though transportation grants have required improvement plans due to historical issues.

Decisions: Received unanimously, 7-0.

War Powers Letter Sparks Process Debate

Mayor Martinez introduced an emergency item to send a letter to Rep. John Garamendi and other congressional members expressing council support for the Massikana War Powers Resolution and opposing unauthorized military action against Iran.

The item was added to the agenda 5-0 with Councilmember Brown and Councilmember Zepeda abstaining — Zepeda noted he had just seen the letter — then placed on the consent calendar and approved with the same abstentions.

Don Gosney, speaking during open forum, criticized the process, arguing the public had no opportunity to comment on the substance before the vote since it was added directly to consent.

Councilmember Bana spoke during open forum in a personal capacity about her Iranian-American identity and the human cost of war.

Minor Items

• Consent calendar approved unanimously (7-0), including the War Powers Resolution letter and a tobacco retailer license ordinance (U2B) that was briefly pulled then returned to consent.

• RPOA President Benjamin Therriault read from the district attorney's report clearing officers in a use-of-force incident, criticizing council members for disparaging officers whose actions were found lawful.

• Cordell Hendler proposed using Chevron settlement funds for street safety improvements near 27th and Nevin and suggested hiring a marketing manager for the Port of Richmond.

• Solomon Irvin of Saving America's Youth requested additional weekend gym time and travel funding for an AAU basketball tournament qualifier at the BTA Community Center in District 6.

• Samantha Torres of Richmond United Soccer Club proposed temporarily activating vacant lots at McDonald and 12th Avenue as mini soccer fields ahead of the FIFA World Cup at Levi's Stadium.

• Items W2, W4, and W5 were continued to a future meeting due to the extended Flock discussion.