CalMatters reported that a California bill to regulate license plate readers failed again, for the fifth year in a row. Senate Bill 1013 cleared the state Senate. Then Assembly majority leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry stopped it on Monday, the last day the Legislature meets this year, before it could come up for a floor vote.
The bill was one of a handful with strong support from lawmakers. It looked poised to pass.
Why did the California bill fail?
The Assembly never voted on it. Nearly 40 law enforcement agencies and police unions opposed the bill, according to CalMatters. The California State Sheriff's Association said it was glad the bill did not pass. Its legislative director, Cory Salzillo, said the bill would have limited the use of plate data to solve crimes and find missing people.
Catherine Crump, codirector of the UC Berkeley Center for Law & Technology, testified for the bill in July. "It's a really disappointing outcome," she said. Bill author Sabrina Cervantes, a Democrat from Riverside, said it was unfortunate that the bill "did not get the chance to be voted on."
What would SB 1013 have done?
As introduced, the bill would have:
- Limited state law enforcement use of plate data to locating criminal suspects or missing people.
- Required police to take privacy and cybersecurity training.
- Restricted sharing with national databases by default.
- Had the attorney general's office run random audits of plate reader activity for misuse.
The bill had already been weakened before it died. It traded a requirement to delete plate data after 30 days for one to archive it after 60 days. Police would then need a warrant to search the archive, unless the data was tied to an active investigation or a vehicle hunt. Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill last year, in part because it ordered deletion after 60 days.
Why does CalMatters say the readers are a problem?
CalMatters says lawmakers point to police misuse, including sharing data with federal immigration enforcers and stalking. Cervantes said the bill was needed to stop unlawful sharing and misconduct. CalMatters reports that more than 230 California police or sheriff's departments use the readers, according to Cervantes.
The attorney general's office has contacted 18 agencies since June 2024 about possible or known violations of Senate Bill 34. It also sued the city of El Cajon to stop the practice. CalMatters reports that state law prohibits sharing plate reader data with out-of-state or federal agencies.
What changes for drivers in California?
The bill would have set statewide rules, and it did not pass. Those rules do not apply. CalMatters does not say whether any other bill is in progress.
Cameras run by a neighboring city, a county, the state, a business or an HOA stay where they are. CalMatters reports that police in Los Angeles and Redwood City have ended Flock contracts in recent weeks, and that more than 200 cities or agencies ended plate reader contracts nationwide in August, according to Secure Justice.
For background on how these systems work, read how plate readers work. To see what is mapped near you, check the camera map.
Cervantes said she plans to keep pushing the privacy issue next year. CalMatters does not give a date for the next session's bill.