The San Diego City Council's Public Safety Committee voted to move forward an item that would allow the city to enter into a five-year contract for $11.6 million with Ubicquia — a company that would install and operate 500 smart streetlights around San Diego.
The public safety committee moved the item to the full city council, without recommendation, because they had not received input from the city's Privacy Advisory Board.
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Some public commenters asked the committee to postpone voting on the item until after the board's next scheduled meeting on Oct. 26, when they had docketed the proposal for review.
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Homayra Yusufi from the Trust SD Coalition says she believes there are still many loopholes in the proposed contract with Ubicquia. She is concerned that there are no guarantees that data or images collected from the cameras will not be shared with federal immigration authorities or law enforcement agencies from other states.
"It harms folks who are seeking abortion and reproductive rights. It harms immigrant communities," she said. "We are concerned with the fact that we're spending $12 million, as a city, on a technology that really is going to be utilized for the benefit of private tech companies."
San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit disagreed. He says there are clear guidelines and that the cameras will only be used to prosecute or acquit suspected criminals for serious offenses.
"This is only responded to after a serious crime or an investigative process, if you will," he said. "We're not live monitoring any piece of this. There are robust processes about who can see this, and there is also a very strict process of who this can be shared with."
Councilmember Marni von Wilpert, who chairs the public safety committee, said she didn't feel it was necessary to delay the vote until after the Privacy Advisory Board met.
"I didn't see the need for further delay. I did see the need for the privacy advisory board to use their expertise on technology and equipment to weigh in, so that's why I chose to move forward today, but still invite the opportunity for them to weigh in before it comes to full council," she said.
