Community advocates are asking the San Diego City Council to pull funding for license plate readers days before the city’s 2026 fiscal year budget is due to be finalized.
Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) capture images of vehicles and their plates. This information is then sent to law enforcement databases to scan for vehicles of interest.
The readers are meant to increase security and civilian safety, but critics fear overreach by law enforcement agencies.
The Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego Coalition started in 2019, bringing together over 30 community organizations to advocate against surveillance systems like ALPRs.
The main point of contention is data privacy, particularly who has access. Those who are part of the coalition question whether federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection may be able to use the data.
“We are deeply concerned that ALPR data can potentially be accessed and utilized by federal immigration agencies to deport immigrant community members,” Erin Tsurumoto Grassi, associate director of Alliance San Diego, said in a press release.
Homayra Yusufi, senior policy strategist at the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans, said she doesn’t believe San Diego has proper guardrails in place to protect communities from ICE and other agencies that may access ALPR information.
“I think right now, especially with the incident that happened in South Park last week we are recognizing that ICE is not something that is helpful to our communities,” Yusufi said.
Instead, she thinks funds should be redirected to community programs.
On Friday, the council meets to discuss budget modifications. The final budget vote is scheduled for Tuesday.
In order to close the current budget gap, the council has suggested decreases in funding for libraries, recreation centers and parks. Libraries and recreation centers will have reduced hours and park maintenance will be curbed in the off-season if the budget is approved. ALPRs are still included in the budget.
“Instead of continuing to use our limited resources on this harmful and expensive program, the city should put the money into the things that support healthy, thriving and safe communities, things like parks, libraries and safety net services that help us take care of one another,” Kyra Greene, the executive director for the Center on Policy Initiatives, said in a press release.
Though pleased city leaders’ efforts to support immigrants, Yusufi hopes the council will take them a step further by “removing ALPR technologies from communities.”
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