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Home My WebLink About2021-03-25 HRC Agenda Packet - RevisedV.03 REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA REVISED AGENDA 3/22/2021 March 25, 2021 VIA TELECONFERENCE 6:00 p.m. City Hall, Building A 276 Fourth Avenue Chula Vista, CA 91910 PLEASE NOTE THAT, PURSUANT TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA'S EXECUTIVE ORDER N-29-20, AND IN THE INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY, MEMBERS OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AND STAFF MAY PARTICIPATE IN THIS MEETING VIA TELECONFERENCE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE EXECUTIVE ORDER, THE PUBLIC MAY VIEW THE MEETING ONLINE AND NOT IN BUILDING A, EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE ROOM 103. HOW TO WATCH: Members of the public can access a link to the livestream at www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. Members of the public who wish to join by telephone only, may call 1-408-418-9388 (United States Toll) and enter the access code: 187 895 6572. HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS: Visit the online eComment portal for this meeting at: www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. The commenting period will be open shortly after the agenda is published for a particular meeting and will remain open through the meeting, as described below. All comments will be available to the public and the Human Relations Commission using the eComment portal. Comments must be received prior to the time the Chair calls for the close of the commenting period. Comments received after such time will not be considered by the Human Relations Commission. If you have difficulty or are unable to submit a comment, please contact Courtney Chase for assistance at cchase@chulavistaca.gov. ACCESSIBILITY: Individuals with disabilities are invited to request reasonable modifications or accommodations in order to access and/or participate in a Human Relations Commission meeting by contacting the Human Resources Department at humanresources@chulavistaca.gov (California Relay Service is available for the hearing impaired by dialing 711) at least forty-eight hours in advance of the meeting. ***The City of Chula Vista is relying on commercial technology to livestream and accept public comments via Granicus, Inc. With the increase of virtual meetings, most platforms are working to scale their systems to meet the new demand. If we have technical difficulties, we City of Chula Vista Boards & Commissions Human Relations Commission Page 2 ׀ Human Relations Commission Agenda March 25, 2021 will resolve them as quickly as possible. City staff will take all possible measures to ensure a publicly accessible experience. *** CALL TO ORDER ROLL CALL CONSENT CALENDAR The Board/Commission will enact the Consent Calendar staff recommendations by one motion, without discussion, unless a Board/Commission Member, a member of the public, or staff requests that an item be removed for discussion. If you wish to comment on one of these items, please submit comments electronically at: www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. 1. Approve the minutes of the October 20, 2020 and January 28, 2021 meetings of the Human Relations Commission, and the February 25, 2021 Joint Special meeting of the Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Board and Human Relations Commission Staff recommendation: Commission approve the minutes. 2. Request Forms from Commissioners Baber and Felix requesting an excused absence from the February 25, 2021 meeting Staff recommendation: Commission vote to excuse absences. PUBLIC COMMENTS Persons may address the Board/Commission on any subject matter within the Board/Commission’s jurisdiction that is not listed as an item on the agenda. State law generally prohibits the Board/Commission from discussing or taking action on any issue not included on the agenda, but, if appropriate, the Board/Commission may schedule the topic for future discussion or refer the matter to staff. If you wish to comment, please submit comments electronically at: www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. PRESENTATIONS The following item(s) have been advertised as presentations as required by law. If you wish to comment on one of these items, please submit comments electronically at: http://www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. 3. REDISTRICTING UPDATE Presenter: Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger Staff recommendation: Hear the presentation. Page 3 ׀ Human Relations Commission Agenda March 25, 2021 4. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE REGARDING LICENSE PLATER READER PROGRAM Staff recommendation: Hear the presentation. 5. COVID-19 UPDATE Presenter: Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger Staff recommendation: Hear the presentation. ACTION The Item(s) listed in this section of the agenda will be considered individually by the Board/Commission and are expected to elicit discussion and deliberation. If you wish to comment on one of these items, please submit comments electronically at: http://www.chulavistaca.gov/virtualmeetings. 6. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION IN SUPPORT OF ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY Staff recommendation: Discuss and take action if necessary 7. COMMISSION DISCUSSION REGARDING DATA AND INFORMATION GATHERING AND SHARING WITHIN THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA 8. AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021 Staff recommendation: Discuss and take action if necessary 9. DISCUSSION AND ACTION, INCLUDING UPDATES FROM, AND/OR FORMATION OF, AD HOC COMMITTEES, ON EVENTS/ACTIVITIES FOR HRC PARTICIPATION EVENT DATE/DETAILS AD HOC Know Your Rights - Police TBD Branch, Felix, Kean-Ayub South Bay Earth Day Virtual 2021 Chula Vista Harbor Fest Canceled Chula Vista Pride Day TBD National Night Out TBD Chula Vista Starlight Parade TBD Know Your Rights - Immigration TBD TBD Staff recommendation: Discuss and take action if necessary Page 4 ׀ Human Relations Commission Agenda March 25, 2021 OTHER BUSINESS 10. STAFF COMMENTS 11. CHAIR’S COMMENTS 12. COMMISSIONERS’ COMMENTS ADJOURNMENT to the regular meeting on April 22, 2021 at 6 p.m. via teleconference. Materials provided to the Human Relations Commission related to any open-session item on this agenda are available for public review at https://chulavista.granicusideas.com/meetings or by contacting the Human Resources Department at humanresources@chulavistaca.gov. I declare under penalty of perjury that I am employed by the City of Chula Vista in the Human Resources department and that I caused the document to be posted according to Brown Act requirements. Dated: March 22, 2021 Signed: ______________ Request for Excused Absence Form – 6/19 REQUEST FOR EXCUSED ABSENCE City of Chula Vista Boards, Commissions, and Committees Name: _________________________________________________ Date of Absence: _________________________________ Board/Commission/Committee: _________________________________________________________________________________ Chula Vista Municipal Code section 2.25.110 (C) allows board/commission/committee members, by a majority vote, to excuse a fellow board, commission, or committee member’s absence from a meeting for any of the reasons listed below. A member who is absent from three consecutive, regular meetings will be deemed to have vacated his or her membership, unless the member’s absence is excused by a majority vote of the other members. An absence is only recorded as “excused” upon receipt of a member’s request and majority vote of the board/commission/committee to excuse the absence. Accordingly, if you have been absent from a regular meeting, please complete and submit this form to the chair or secretary. Please indicate the reason for the absence:  1. Illness of the member, family member of the member, or personal friend of the member;  2. Business commitment of the member that interferes with the attendance of the member at a meeting;  3. Previously scheduled vacation of the member, notice of which was provided to the respective board or commission in advance of the meeting;  4. Attendance of the member at a funeral, religious service or ceremony, wedding, or other similarly significant event;  5. Unexpected, emergency situation that prohibits the member’s attendance; or  6. Other reason for which the member has given notice to the secretary of his or her unavailability at least seven days in advance of the meeting. OR  The absence was not for any of the above-listed reasons. I understand that the absence will be recorded as unexcused. I certify the reason for the absence indicated above is true and correct. Member’s Signature: __________________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ If completed by secretary or staff to board/commission/committee: Completed on member’s behalf by: _____________________________, per member’s  Verbal  Written request on: _________________. (date) (secretary/liaison’s name) Request for Excused Absence Form – 6/19 REQUEST FOR EXCUSED ABSENCE City of Chula Vista Boards, Commissions, and Committees Name: _________________________________________________ Date of Absence: _________________________________ Board/Commission/Committee: _________________________________________________________________________________ Chula Vista Municipal Code section 2.25.110 (C) allows board/commission/committee members, by a majority vote, to excuse a fellow board, commission, or committee member’s absence from a meeting for any of the reasons listed below. A member who is absent from three consecutive, regular meetings will be deemed to have vacated his or her membership, unless the member’s absence is excused by a majority vote of the other members. An absence is only recorded as “excused” upon receipt of a member’s request and majority vote of the board/commission/committee to excuse the absence. Accordingly, if you have been absent from a regular meeting, please complete and submit this form to the chair or secretary. Please indicate the reason for the absence:  1. Illness of the member, family member of the member, or personal friend of the member;  2. Business commitment of the member that interferes with the attendance of the member at a meeting;  3. Previously scheduled vacation of the member, notice of which was provided to the respective board or commission in advance of the meeting;  4. Attendance of the member at a funeral, religious service or ceremony, wedding, or other similarly significant event;  5. Unexpected, emergency situation that prohibits the member’s attendance; or  6. Other reason for which the member has given notice to the secretary of his or her unavailability at least seven days in advance of the meeting. OR  The absence was not for any of the above-listed reasons. I understand that the absence will be recorded as unexcused. I certify the reason for the absence indicated above is true and correct. Member’s Signature: __________________________________________________________ Date: _____________________________ If completed by secretary or staff to board/commission/committee: Completed on member’s behalf by: _____________________________, per member’s  Verbal  Written request on: _________________. (date) (secretary/liaison’s name) William Felix 2/25/2021 Human Relations Commission x 2/25/2021 Page 1 | Human Relations Commission Minutes October 22, 2020 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA October 22, 2020 Via Teleconference 6:00 p.m. Pursuant to the Governor of the State of California's Executive Order N-29-20, and in the interest of public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Human Relations Commission and staff participated in this meeting via teleconference. All votes were taken by roll call. CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the Human Relations Commission of the City of Chula Vista was called to order at 6:00 p.m. in Building A, located at 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, California and by teleconference. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioners Felix, Gutierrez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner (arrived at 6:07 p.m.), Godinez (arrived at 6:12 p.m.), Vice-Chair Branch, and Chair Martinez- Montes ABSENT: Commissioner Baber ALSO PRESENT: Director of Human Resources Chase, Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger, City Attorney Googins, Western Regional Manager of Welcoming America Zavala, and Human Resources Technician Haskins CONSENT CALENDAR Chair Martinez-Montes called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic comments on items on the consent calendar. Secretary Haskins announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. 1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 REGULAR HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING 2. REQUEST FOR AN EXCUSED ABSENCE FROM CHAIR MARTINEZ- MONTES FOR THE SEPTEMBER 24, 2020 HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION MEETING. Page 2 | Human Relations Commission Minutes October 22, 2020 ACTION: Chair Martinez-Montes moved to approve staff’s recommendations and offered Consent Calendar Items 1 and 2. Commissioner Branch seconded the motion, and it carried, by the following roll call vote: Yes: 7 – Commissioners Felix, Gutierrez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Vice-Chair Branch, and Chair Martinez-Montes No: 0 Abstain: 0 ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT CALENDAR There were none. PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Martinez-Montes called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic public comments. Secretary Haskins announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. ACTION ITEMS 3. PRESENTATION FROM WELCOMING AMERICA ABOUT WELCOMING AMERICA ACTIONS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AND DISUCSSION ABOUT FUTURE COMMISISON ACTIONS IN SUPPORT OF WELCOMING AMERICA Western Regional Manager of Welcoming America Zavala gave a presentation on the item. Chair Martinez-Montes and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Haskins announced that 0 electronic comments had been received and 0 comments had been received via email. No action. 4. PRESENTATION FROM STAFF ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA IN RESPONSE TO COVID19 AND DISCUSSION REGARDING IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY FROM COVID-19 Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger gave a presentation on the item. Page 3 | Human Relations Commission Minutes October 22, 2020 Chair Martinez-Montes and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Haskins announced that 0 electronic comments had been received and 0 comments had been received via email. No action. 5. DISCUSSION ON AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISION FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021 Chair Martinez-Montes and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Haskins announced that 0 electronic comments had been received and 0 comments had been received via email. ACTION: Commissioner Godinez moved to create an informal committee to discuss creating an event to celebrate immigrants and add a youth to the commission. Commissioner Lake, Godinez, Kean-Ayub, and Medina agreed to be a part of the informal committee. Commissioner Lake seconded the motion, and it carried, by the following roll call vote: Yes: 9 – Commissioners Felix, Gutierrez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, Godinez, Vice-Chair Branch, and Chair Martinez-Montes No: 0 6. DISCUSSION AND ACTION, INCLUDING UPDATES FROM, AND/OR FORMATION OF, AD HOC COMMITTEES, ON EVENTS/ACTIVITIES FOR HRC PARTICIPATION Chair Martinez-Montes and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Haskins announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. No action. ADJOURNMENT At 8:55 p.m., Chair Martinez-Montes adjourned the meeting to the next Regular Meeting on January 28, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. via teleconference. ____________________________________ Janelle Palermo for Summer Haskins, Secretary Page 1 | Human Relations Commission Minutes January 28, 2021 MINUTES OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE HUMAN REL ATIONS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA January 28, 2021 Via Teleconference 6:00 p.m. Pursuant to the Governor of the State of California's Executive Order N-29-20, and in the interest of public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Human Relations Commission and staff participated in this meeting via teleconference. All votes were taken by roll call. CALL TO ORDER A Regular Meeting of the Human Relations Commission of the City of Chula Vista was called to order at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, Building A, located at 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, California and by teleconference. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Commissioners: Baber, Felix, Godinez, Gutierrez (left at 8:32 p.m.), Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, Vice Chair Branch and Chair Martinez-Montes ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: Director of Human Resources Chase, Human Resources Manager Tomlinson, Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger, City Attorney Googins, Chief of Police Kennedy, Police Captain Collum, Police Captain Thunberg, Police Captain Redmond, Senior Librarian Ysla, Librarian II Cabrera, and Secretary Palermo PUBLIC COMMENTS Chair Martinez-Montes called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic public comments. Secretary Palermo announced that 13 electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. The following public comments were submitted electronically: The following members of the public submitted electronic comments in opposition of Item 2; Police Use of License Plate Readers: ▪ Norell Martinez, Chula Vista resident ▪ Brenda Aguirre, Chula Vista resident ▪ Kathy Hardy, Chula Vista resident ▪ Margaret Baker, Chula Vista resident ▪ Jerilyn Brown, Chula Vista resident Page 2 | Human Relations Commission Minutes January 28, 2021 ▪ Tama Becker Varano, Chula Vista resident ▪ David Harris, Chula Vista resident ▪ Lois Klepin, Chula Vista resident ▪ Harriet Baber, Chula Vista resident ▪ Nan Kar, Chula Vista resident The following members of the public submitted electronic comments regarding Item 5, asking for voice comments during Council Meetings: ▪ Jerilyn Brown, Chula Vista resident ▪ Tama Becker Varano, Chula Vista resident ▪ Brenda Aguirre, Chula Vista resident PRESENTATIONS 1. PRESENTATION FROM STAFF ON THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19 Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger gave a presentation on the item. Chair Martinez-Montes opened the public hearing and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic comments on the item. Secretary Palermo announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. There being no members of the public who wished to submit a comment, Chair Martinez-Montes closed the public hearing. ACTION ITEMS 2. QUARTERLY UPDATE FROM POLICE DEPARTMENT • DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING LICENSE PLATE READER PROGRAM Chief of Police Kennedy, Police Captain Collum, Police Captain Thunberg, and Police Captain Redmond gave a presentation on this item. Chair Martinez-Montes called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Palermo announced that 12 electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. The following members of the public submitted electronic comments in opposition of Item 2; Police Use of License Plate Readers: ▪ Norell Martinez, Chula Vista resident ▪ Brenda Aguirre, Chula Vista resident ▪ Kathy Hardy, Chula Vista resident ▪ Margaret Baker, Chula Vista resident ▪ Jerilyn Brown, Chula Vista resident ▪ Tama Becker Varano, Chula Vista resident Page 3 | Human Relations Commission Minutes January 28, 2021 ▪ David Harris, Chula Vista resident ▪ Lois Klepin, Chula Vista resident ▪ Harriet Baber, Chula Vista resident ▪ Nan Kar, Chula Vista resident ▪ Pedros Rios, Chula Vista resident ▪ Nick Paul, Chula Vista resident ACTION: Commissioner Medina moved to create an Ad Hoc subcommittee to review and make suggestions to the Police Department’s automatic license plate reader report. Commissioners Medina and Felix agreed to join the Ad Hoc subcommittee. Commissioner Felix seconded the motion, and it carried, by the following roll call vote: Yes: 9 – Commissioners Baber, Felix, Godinez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, Vice Chair Branch and Chair Martinez-Montes Absent: 1 – Commissioner Gutierrez 3. REQUEST FROM LIBRARY STAFF FOR COMMISSION PARTICIPATION IN BOOK TO ACTION PROGRAM AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING SAME Senior Librarian Ysla and Librarian II Cabrera gave a presentation on the item. Chair Martinez-Montes and called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Palermo announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. ACTION: Chair Martinez-Montes moved to support the effort and work in partnership with the library on Book to Action. Commissioner Godinez seconded the motion, and it carried, by the following roll call vote: Yes: 9 – Commissioners Baber, Felix, Godinez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, Vice Chair Branch and Chair Martinez-Montes Absent: 1 – Commissioner Gutierrez 4. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ON AREAS OF FOCUS FOR THE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2021 Chair Martinez-Montes called to postpone this item until the next meeting on February 25, 2021. 5. DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION REGARDING THE EXPANSION OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC INPUT AT COUNCIL MEETINGS Page 4 | Human Relations Commission Minutes January 28, 2021 Chair Martinez-Montes called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit electronic comments on the item. Secretary Palermo announced that 5 electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. The following members of the public submitted electronic comments regarding Item 5, asking for voice comments during Council Meetings: ▪ Jerilyn Brown, Chula Vista resident ▪ Tama Becker Varano, Chula Vista resident ▪ Brenda Aguirre, Chula Vista resident ▪ Pedro Rios, Chula Vista resident ▪ Margaret Baker, Chula Vista resident ACTION: Vice Chair Branch moved to adopt a minutes resolution urging the City Council to implement as soon as possible a system that allows for oral communications at City Council meetings with consideration of all available options. Commissioner Lake seconded the motion, and it carried, by the following roll call vote: Yes: 9 – Commissioners Baber, Felix, Godinez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, Vice Chair Branch and Chair Martinez-Montes Absent: 1 – Commissioner Gutierrez 6. DISCUSSION AND ACTION, INCLUDING UPDATES FROM, AND/OR FORMATION OF, AD HOC COMMITTEES, ON EVENTS/ACTIVITIES FOR HRC PARTICIPATION Chair Martinez-Montes called to postpone this item until the next meeting on February 25, 2021. ADJOURNMENT At 9:34 p.m., Chair Martinez-Montes adjourned the meeting to the next Regular Meeting on February 25, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. via teleconference. ____________________________________ Janelle Palermo, Secretary Page 1 | Special Joint Meeting of the HCVAC and HRC Minutes February 25, 2021 MINUTES OF THE SPECIAL JOINT MEETING OF THE HEALTHY CHULA VISTA ADVISORY COMMISSION AND HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF CHULA VISTA Thursday, February 25, 2021 Via Teleconference 6:00 P.M. Pursuant to the Governor of the State of California's Executive Order N-29-20, and in the interest of public health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission and Human Relations Commission and staff participated in this meeting via teleconference. All votes were taken by roll call. CALL TO ORDER A Special Joint Meeting of the Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission and Human Relations Commission of the City of Chula Vista was called to order at 6:03 p.m. by teleconference. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission: Commissioners De Murguia, Melgoza, Murphy, Orozco-Valdivia, Quiroz, and Chair Rodriquez Human Relations Commission: Commissioners Branch, Godinez, Gutierrez, Kean-Ayub, Lake, Medina, Ratner, and Chair Martinez-Montes ABSENT: Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission: Commissioners Cruz, Hernandez-Nader, and Martinez Human Relations Commission: Commissioners Baber and Felix ALSO PRESENT: Director of Human Resources Chase, Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger, Human Resources Manager Tomlinson, Secretary Palermo, and Secretary Salvacion ACTION ITEMS 1. PRESENTATION BY UC SAN DIEGO ON THE HEALTHIEST CITIES AND COUNTIES CHALLENGE Ms. Blanca Melendrez of UC San Diego provided an overview of a two-year project funded by the American Public Health Association (APHA) to address food justice issues in Chula Vista. Page 2 | Special Joint Meeting of the HCVAC and HRC Minutes February 25, 2021 The commissioners thanked Ms. Melendrez for her presentation. Chair Rodriguez called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic public comments. Secretary Palermo announced that one electronic comment had been received and no comments had been received via email. The following public comments were submitted electronically: Miranda Edwords, City of Chula Vista, submitted questions and comments in favor of the Healthiest Cities and Counties Challenge. 2. PRESENTATION BY SAN DIEGO COUNTY SUPERVISOR NORA VARGAS The newly seated Supervisor of District 1 will provide an overview of her priorities for her first year in office, including information on the recent press conference entitled “Racism is a Public Health Crisis.” Supervisor Vargas gave an update on various issues impacting the South Bay including the COVID vaccine. The commissioners thanked Supervisor Vargas for her participation in the meeting and expressed their interest to continue to work with her office. Chair Rodriguez called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic public comments. Secretary Palermo announced that no electronic comments had been received and no comments had been received via email. 3. PRESENTATION BY INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC STRATEGIES ON THE PARTNERSHIP FOR SUCCESS PROJECT Ms. Breny Aceituno of the Institute for Public Strategies provided an overview of a two- year project funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to address behavioral health and substance abuse disparities. The commissioners thanked Ms. Aceituno for her presentation. Chair Rodriguez called for a two-minute pause to allow members of the public to submit any final electronic public comments. Secretary Palermo announced that one electronic comment had been received and no comments had been received via email. The following public comments were submitted electronically: Samhita Ilango, City of Chula Vista, submitted questions and comments in favor of public strategies on the Partnership for Success Project. Page 3 | Special Joint Meeting of the HCVAC and HRC Minutes February 25, 2021 OTHER BUSINESS 4. STAFF COMMENTS Marketing and Communications Manager Steinberger mentioned that the city has a program to assist families with rent and utility assistance. 5. CHAIR’S COMMENTS Chair Martinez-Montez reminded staff that vaccinations will be available starting Saturday for teachers, food service workers, and farm workers. 6. COMMISSIONERS’/BOARD MEMBERS’ COMMENTS Commissioner Medina requested an item be placed on a future HRC item and provided an update on the HRC ad hoc committee on License Plate Reader program. ADJOURNMENT At 7:47 p.m., Chair Rodriguez adjourned the meeting to a Special joint Meeting of the Healthy Chula Vista Advisory Commission on March 11, 2021 with the Commission on Aging at 4:00 p.m. via teleconference, and the next Regular Meeting of the Human Relations Commission on March 25, 2021 at 6:00 p.m. via teleconference. ____________________________________ Patricia Salvacion, Secretary 1 March 22, 2021 VIA EMAIL Maria V. Kachadoorian Chula Vista City Manager City of Chula Vista 276 4th Avenue Chula Vista, CA 91910 Glen Googins Chula Vista City Attorney City of Chula Vista 276 4th Avenue Chula Vista, CA 91910 Re: Chula Vista Police Department’s Automated License Plate Reader Program; California Public Records Act Request Dear Ms. Kachadoorian and Mr. Googins, We write regarding the attached records, which indicate that the Chula Vista Police Department (“CVPD”) has shared automated license plate reader (“ALPR”) data with federal immigration enforcement agencies such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”),1 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”), and ICE Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”). CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, with over 60,000 officers. The U.S. Border Patrol is a subcomponent of CBP. Throughout this letter, all references to CBP include the Border Patrol. One of the attached documents is an “Agency Data Sharing Report” dated November 17, 2020, which indicates that CVPD has shared detection data with the “San Diego Sector Border Patrol [CA]. We demand that you immediately stop any relationship with these or other agencies that provide any such agencies with access to driver location information. This letter: summarizes public records indicating that the Chula Vista Police Department has shared information about the locations of local drivers with federal agencies, including CBP, ICE, and HSI; describes the threat that the unrestricted use of ALPR technology poses to the privacy and safety of all community members; explains that California state law prohibits the sharing of ALPR data with out-of-state and federal entities; and reveals the contradiction to Chula Vista’s stated commitment to protect civil liberties. The letter concludes by urging the City of Chula Vista to immediately stop any ALPR data sharing with federal immigration enforcement agencies, to terminate the contract with Vigilant Solutions, LLC, altogether, to adopt surveillance technology usage and privacy policies to ensure compliance with state laws and protection of explicit privacy and civil liberties, and to establish an independent community-led Privacy Advisory Board to oversee acquisition and use of surveillance technology. 1 CBP is the largest law enforcement agency in the United States, with over 60,000 officers. The U.S. Border 2 I. Records Indicate that the Chula Vista Police Department Has Shared ALPR Data with Federal Agencies, Including CBP, ICE and HSI. Public records indicate that Chula Vista Police Department has shared ALPR data with federal agencies. For example, in the attached LEARN Agency Data Sharing Report dated November 17, 2020, CBP, ICE, and the HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Center are listed as sharing partners with the ability to search the local ALPR data (including scans of license plates and the time and location of the scanned plate). The data sharing report lists the Chula Vista Police Department as a partner that appears to have allowed CBP, ICE, HSI and other federal agencies to search the information collected about driver locations. Such sensitive information could help federal agencies like CBP, ICE, and HSI to target, locate, and deport immigrant community members as they drive to work, run errands, or take their kids to school. If the Chula Vista Police Department is permitting federal agencies to search this information, it is violating our community members’ privacy and civil rights and placing our most vulnerable neighbors at serious risk. II. ALPR Surveillance of Chula Vista Residents’ Locations Raises Serious Civil Liberties and Civil Rights Concerns. No jurisdiction should acquire or deploy license plate readers, given the technology’s invasiveness and the breadth of revealing information such readers can collect about individuals. ALPR systems collect and store location information about drivers whose cars pass through ALPR cameras’ fields of view, which, after being matched to dates, times, and locations, can be built into a database that reveals sensitive information about where individuals work, live, associate, and travel.2 Further, ALPR systems are easily misused to harm communities of color and especially immigrants within those communities—a phenomenon that has been documented for over twenty years.3 As with other surveillance technologies, police deploy license plate readers disproportionately in poor areas, regardless of crime rates.4 2 See, e.g., You Are Being Tracked: How License Plate Readers Are Being Used to Record Americans’ Movements, AM. CIV. LIBERTIES UNION, July 2013, https://www.aclu.org/other/you-are-being-tracked-how-license-plate-readers-are-being- used-record-americans-movements; Automatic License Plate Readers, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUND., https://www.eff.org/sls/tech/automated-license-plate-readers (last visited Feb. 10, 2021). 3 See, e.g., Angel Diaz & Rachel Levinson-Waldman, Automatic License Plate Readers: Legal Status and Policy Recommendations for Law Enforcement Use, BRENNAN CTR. FOR JUST., Sept. 10, 2020, https://www.brennancenter.org/our- work/research-reports/automatic-license-plate-readers-legal-status-and-policy-recommendations; Christine Hauser, Aurora Police Chief Apologizes After Officers Handcuff Children on the Ground, N.Y. TIMES, Aug. 5, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/05/us/aurora-police-black-family.html (ALPR falsely flagged a Black family’s SUV as stolen, leading to a stop during which entire family, including four children, was forced to lie on the ground during the stop); Vasudha Talla, Records Reveal ICE Agents Run Thousands of License Plate Queries a Month in Massive Location Database, ACLU OF NORTHERN CAL., June 5, 2019, https://www.aclunc.org/blog/records-reveal-ice-agents-run-thousands- license-plate-queries-month-massive-location-database; Matt Cagle, San Francisco – Paying the Price for Surveillance Without Safeguards, ACLU OF NORTHERN CAL., May 22, 2014, https://www.aclunc.org/blog/san-francisco-paying-price- surveillance-without-safeguards; Adam Goldman and Matt Apuzzo, With Cameras, Informants, NYPD Eyed Mosques, ASSOCIATED PRESS, Feb. 23, 2012, https://www.ap.org/ap-in-the-news/2012/with-cameras-informants-nypd-eyed- mosques; Michael Powell, Sari Horwitz & Toni Locy, Lt. Stowe’s Sudden Fall From Grace, WASH. POST, Nov. 30, 1997, 3 These abuses are magnified for border residents, who are exposed to local, state, and federal law enforcement officials throughout their communities. The mere act of crossing the border by car—a necessary, regular journey for many binational families and workers—subjects travelers to intrusive surveillance.5 For several years now, federal agencies like CBP, ICE,6 and HSI7 have accessed license plate information held by law enforcement agencies and/or by commercial vendors such as Vigilant Solutions, LLC (“Vigilant”).8 Vigilant’s database includes data collected by its public sector and private customers and contractors operating the company’s license plate readers.9 Federal agencies https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1997/11/30/lt-stowes-sudden-fall-from-grace/a6ac37f2-57d2- 47fb-b6da-0f8f6a45dde8/. 4 BARTON GELLMAN & SAM ADLER-BELL, THE CENTURY FOUND., THE DISPARATE IMPACT OF SURVEILLANCE 2 (Dec. 2017), https://production-tcf.imgix.net/app/uploads/2017/12/03151009/the-disparate-impact- of-surveillance.pdf; see also, e.g., Kaveh Waddell, How License-Plate Readers Have Helped Police and Lenders Target the Poor, THE ATLANTIC, Apr. 22, 2016 https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/04/how-license-plate-readers-have- helped-police-and-lenders-target-the-poor/479436/ (summarizing data indicating that Oakland Police Department deployed ALPRs “disproportionately often in low-income areas and in neighborhoods with high concentrations of African-American and Latino residents”). 5 DEP’T OF HOMELAND SEC., PRIVACY IMPACT ASSESSMENT FOR THE CBP LICENSE PLATE READER TECHNOLOGY, DHS/ICE/PIA-049(A) (July 6, 2020), https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/privacy- pia-cbp049a-cbplprtechnology-july2020.pdf. 6 Russell Brandom, Exclusive: ICE Is About to Start Tracking License Plates Across the US, THE VERGE, Jan. 26, 2018, https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/26/16932350/ice-immigration-customs-license-plate-recognition- contract-vigilant-solutions. 7 Suhauna Hussain & Johana Bhuiyan, Police in Pasadena, Long Beach Pledged Not to Send License Plate Data to ICE. They Shared it Anyway, L.A. TIMES, Dec. 21, 2020, https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-12- 21/pasadena-long-beach-police-ice-automated-license-plate-reader-data ("The department began sharing license plate information with HSI four months ago to help “restrict the flow of funding that supports criminal enterprises,” according to Special Services Lt. Bill Grisafe. Grisafe said in an email last week the department stopped sharing license plate information with HSI once it realized the division was affiliated with ICE."). 8 See, e.g., Tanvi Misra, Who’s Tracking Your License Plate, BLOOMBERG CITYLAB, Dec. 6, 2018, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-12-06/why-privacy-advocates-fear-license-plate-readers (“EFF also found that, on average, each agency was directly sharing [ALPR data] with 160 other jurisdictions . . . . These could be police departments . . . or Customs and Border Protection (CBP) . . . .”); Andrew Keatts, SDPD Shares Its License Plata Database with Border Patrol – and Hundreds of Other Agencies, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO, Apr. 26, 2018, https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/public-safety/sdpd-shares-its-license-plate-database-with-border-patrol-and- hundreds-of-other-agencies/. For more background on Vigilant, see, for example, Conor Friedersdorf, An Unprecedented Threat to Privacy, THE ATLANTIC, Jan. 27, 2016, https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/01/vigilant-solutions- surveillance/427047/. 9 Diaz & Levinson-Waldman, supra note 3, at 3; Aaron Holmes, Customs and Border Protection Paid to Access a Private Company’s Network of Cameras that Spans the US, BUSINESS INSIDER, Sept. 10, 2020, https://www.businessinsider.com/cbp-vigilant-learn-camera-network-tracking-2020-9; Joseph Cox, CBP Bought “Unlimited” Use of a Nationwide Tracking Database, VICE, Sept. 10, 2020, https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/pky47y/cbp-surveillance-license-plate-reader-vigilant. 4 like CBP, ICE, and HSI can thus access nationwide databases of license plates and associated location records to target people going about their daily lives in our community.10 Such surveillance is a matter of grave concern. Sharing ALPR data with CBP, for example, is worrisome given CBP’s well-documented history of civil and human rights abuses, which have gone largely unchecked.11 These concerns have taken on a new urgency because of CBP’s recent involvement in the monitoring, surveilling, and suppression of First Amendment-protected protest activity following the murder of George Floyd.12 CBP’s expanded domestic law enforcement activities are alarming—doubly so given confirmed reports that CBP has been unable to protect highly-sensitive location tracking data from malicious cyberattacks and other data breaches.13 Any sharing of ALPR data by the Chula Vista Police Department with a federal agency that asserts such broad authority with dubious constitutional justification is deeply troubling. Sharing of ALPR data with ICE, as another example, violates the privacy and civil rights of immigrants and their families, and places them at serious risk. Records obtained by the ACLU of Northern California (“ACLU”) from a Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) request reveal that, as of March 2018, Vigilant provided 9,200 ICE personnel with accounts to use their database. Some 10 See DEP’T OF HOMELAND SEC., supra note 5. The ACLU found multiple articles reporting on primary sources referencing CBP’s access to commercial ALPR databases since at least 2015, but this 2020 PIA says “[t]he 2017 PIA only discussed LPR reads obtained from equipment owned and operated by CBP; at the time, CBP did not access commercially available license plate images and vehicle locations.” See Cox, supra note 9 (releasing documents proving CBP’s involvement with Vigilant since 2015). One possible explanation for this discrepancy, which CBP does not appear to have addressed, is that CBP has relied on information sharing with local law enforcement agencies to receive ALPR data while avoiding federal privacy law disclosure requirements. 11 See, e.g., Josiah Heyman, Jeremy Slack & Daniel E. Martínez, Why Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers Should Not Serve as Asylum Officers, CTR. FOR MIGRATION STUD., June 21, 2019, https://cmsny.org/publications/heyman-slack- martinez-062119/; John Washington, “Kick Ass, Ask Questions Later”: A Border Patrol Whistleblower Speaks Out About Culture of Abuse Against Migrants, THE INTERCEPT, Sept. 20, 2018, https://theintercept.com/2018/09/20/border-patrol- agent-immigrant-abuse/; GUILLERMO CANTOR & WALTER EWING, AM. IMMIGRATION COUNCIL, STILL NO ACTION TAKEN: COMPLAINTS AGAINST BORDER PATROL AGENTS CONTINUE TO GO UNANSWERED (Aug. 2017), http://bit.ly/Council_StillNoActionTaken (examining records of alleged misconduct by Border Patrol employees); Garrett M. Graff, The Green Monster: How the Border Patrol Became America’s Most Out-of-Control Law Enforcement Agency, POLITICO (Nov./Dec. 2014), https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/border-patrol-the-green-monster- 112220. 12 See, e.g., Josh Gerstein, Feds Assemble ‘Operation Diligent Valor’ Force to Battle Portland Unrest, POLITICO (July 22, 2020, 9:37 AM ET), https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/federal-government-assembles-force-portland- unrest-377785 (describing DHS Rapid Deployment Force in Portland as “Operation Diligent Valor”); Caitlin Oprysko, Trump Announces Plan to Send Federal Law Enforcement to Chicago, Albuquerque, POLITICO (July 22, 2020, 6:28 PM ET), https://www.politico.com/news/2020/07/22/trump-law-enforcement-chicago-albuquerque-378692 (describing deployments to additional U.S. cities under rubric of “Operation Legend”); Gregory Pratt & Jeremy Gorner, Trump Expected to Send New Federal Force to Chicago This Week to Battle Violence, but Plan’s Full Scope Is a Question Mark, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, July 20, 2020, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/criminal-justice/ct-chicago-police-dhs-deployment- 20200720-dftu5ychwbcxtg4ltarh5qnwma-story.html; Sergio Olmos, et al., Federal Officers Deployed in Portland Didn’t Have Proper Training, D.H.S. Memo Said, N.Y. TIMES, July 21, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/18/us/portland- protests.html; Ken Klippenstein, The Border Patrol Was Responsible for an Arrest in Portland, THE NATION, July 17, 2020, https://www.thenation.com/article/society/border-patrol-portland-arrest/; Tanvi Misra, Immigration Agencies to Assist Law Enforcement Amid Unrest, ROLL CALL, June 1, 2020, https://www.rollcall.com/2020/06/01/immigration-agencies-to- assist-law-enforcement-amid-unrest/. 13 Zack Whittaker, CBP Says Traveler Photos and License Plate Images Stolen in Data Breach, TECH CRUNCH, June 10, 2019, https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/10/cbp-data-breach/. 5 of these officers were members of the ICE division that engages in civil immigration enforcement. Through this arrangement, ICE can tap into Vigilant’s nationwide database of license plates and associated location records to target immigrants and other members of our community.14 Even more troubling is the disclosure of an ICE officer’s email requests to a La Habra detective, asking the detective to run license plates through the Vigilant database since the La Habra detective possessed access to data that the ICE officer did not. The La Habra detective pasted the results of his queries into documents and emailed them to the ICE officer. These emails show that, regardless of a local law enforcement agency’s decision to share or not share driver information with ICE, informal sharing of this information can and does occur. In addition, the California State Auditor’s 2019 report on ALPR usage by California law enforcement agencies found that the audited agencies “have not made informed ALPR image-sharing decisions” and “have conducted little to no auditing and monitoring [of license plate searches] and thus have no assurance that misuse has not occurred.”15 The Auditor’s report concludes that “it is likely that many of the survey respondents have the same problems we identified at the four agencies we visited.” While CVPD was not one of the four audited agencies, it is listed as a survey respondent; and CVPD’s documented failure to notice that it was sharing ALPR information with ICE for three years bears out that concern.16 Ultimately, whether obtained through formal permission, informal sharing, system misuse, or lack of knowledge and oversight, ALPR information helps ICE target, locate, and deport immigrant community members. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which is an investigative arm of ICE, has conducted worksite raids in San Diego County.17 As documented in a report by the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), HSI agents employed violent tactics, including pointing their firearms at workers in the presence of children.18 In a series of incidents documented in this same report, HSI agents apprehended a father, who worked at the Korean market under investigation, as he was transporting his child to school. The child was left stranded as the father was taken away.19 14 DEP’T OF HOMELAND SEC., Privacy Impact Assessment, Acquisition and Use of License Plate Reader (LPR) Data from a Commercial Service, DHS/ICE/PIA-039(a) (Dec. 27, 2017), https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/privacy-pia-ice-lpr-january2018.pdf. 15 AUDITOR OF THE STATE OF CAL., AUTOMATED LICENSE PLATE READERS: TO BETTER PROTECT INDIVIDUALS’ PRIVACY, LAW ENFORCEMENT MUST INCREASE ITS SAFEGUARDS FOR THE DATA IT COLLECTS(Feb. 2020), https://www.auditor.ca.gov/pdfs/reports/2019-118.pdf. 16 Gustavo Solis, Chula Vista Police Chief Says She Didn’t Know Department Shared Data With Feds, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO, Jan. 20, 2021, https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/government/chula-vista-police-chief-says-she-didnt- know-department-shared-data-with-feds/ ("Chula Vista Police Chief Roxana Kennedy did not know that her own department shared license plate reader data with federal immigration officials for the last three years. Apparently, when the police department entered into an agreement with Vigilant Solutions to use its database back in December 2017, someone simply clicked a ‘share all’ button. The police chief said she just recently learned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection were part of the more than 800 law enforcement agencies that were given access to Chula Vista’s data."). 17 U.S. IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS ENF’T, ICE Homeland Security Investigations Execute Federal Search Warrant During Worksite Enforcement Operation at Local Market: 26 Unauthorized Workers Arrested on Immigration Administrative Charges, ICE NEWSROOM, Nov. 19, 2020), https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/ice-homeland-security-investigations-execute- federal-search-warrant-during-worksite. 18 See AM. FRIENDS SERV. COMM., COUNTERING ICE’S ABUSIVE PRACTICES WITH COMMUNITY RESILIENCY: TESTIMONIES FROM SAN DIEGO 14 (Dec. 10, 2020), https://www.afsc.org/document/report-countering-ice-abusive- practices-community-resiliency. 19 See id. at 14-15. 6 The Chula Vista Police Department should not share sensitive information about community members with a federal agency that comports itself with such disregard for human safety. It is important to note that some California law enforcement agencies have inadvertently shared ALPR data with HSI, not realizing that HSI is affiliated with ICE.20 According to a list of agencies with whom CVPD was sharing ALPR detection data through Vigilant as of February 3, 2021, one HSI unit (HSI Bulk Cash Smuggling Center) continued to receive access after ICE and CBP were removed following community outcry in December 2020.21 III. Sharing of ALPR Data with Federal Agencies Violates State Law. Sharing ALPR data with federal agencies violates state law. First, sharing residents’ data with federal agencies—such as CBP, ICE, or HSI—violates the California Civil Code, as amended by Senate Bill No. 34 (“S.B. 34”). Under the statute, “[a] public agency shall not sell, share, or transfer ALPR information, except to another public agency, and only as otherwise permitted by law.” Civ. Code § 1798.90.55(b). A “public agency” is defined as “the state, any city, county, or city and county, or any agency or political subdivision of the state.” See Civ. Code § 1798.90.5(f) (emphasis added). The Civil Code, therefore, prohibits an agency from sharing or transferring ALPR information with or to federal agencies, which are not California state or local agencies.22 Additionally, the California Values Act (“S.B. 54”) prohibits the sharing of personal information with agencies “for immigration enforcement purposes.”23 Cal. Govt. Code §§ 7282, 7282.5, 7284.6(a)(1)(D). Automated license plate reader data constitutes “personal information” within the meaning of S.B. 54 and the California Information Practices Act. See Cal. Civ. Code § 1798.3. In addition to violating the plain language of the California Values Act, sharing ALPR data with federal immigration enforcement agencies like CBP, ICE, and HSI undermines the values guiding state law, as set out in the legislative findings and declarations which accompany S.B. 54: “The Legislature finds and declares the following: 20 Suhauna Hussain & Johana Bhuiyan, Police in Pasadena, Long Beach Pledged Not to Send License Plate Data to ICE. They Shared it Anyway, L.A. TIMES, Dec. 21, 2020, https://www.latimes.com/business/technology/story/2020-12- 21/pasadena-long-beach-police-ice-automated-license-plate-reader-data. ("The department began sharing license plate information with HSI four months ago to help ‘restrict the flow of funding that supports criminal enterprises,’ according to Special Services Lt. Bill Grisafe. Grisafe said.. . . the department stopped sharing license plate information with HSI once it realized the division was affiliated with ICE."). 21 PDF file received from City of Chula Vista, 2-3-21 Chula Vista Police Department_Data_Sharing_Report.pdf 22 S.B. 34 in no way limits the public’s right of access to ALPR data pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Government Code §§ 6250, et. seq.) and Article I § 3(b) of the California Constitution. The California Supreme Court has held that ALPR records are not categorically subject to withholding from the public under Section 2654(f)’s exemption for investigatory records. Records may only be withheld pursuant to another section’s “catchall” provision, and only after a case-by-case balancing process. Am. Civil Liberties Union Found. of S. California v. Superior Court, 3 Cal. 5th 1032, 1042–43 (Cal. 2017). 23 S.B. 54, 2017-18 Leg., Reg. Sess. (Cal. 2017), codified at Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 7282 et seq. 7 (a) Immigrants are valuable and essential members of the California community. Almost one in three Californians is foreign born and one in two children in California has at least one immigrant parent. (b) A relationship of trust between California’s immigrant community and state and local agencies is central to the public safety of the people of California. (c) This trust is threatened when state and local agencies are entangled with federal immigration enforcement, with the result that immigrant community members fear approaching police when they are victims of, and witnesses to, crimes, seeking basic health services, or attending school, to the detriment of public safety and the well-being of all Californians. (d) Entangling state and local agencies with federal immigration enforcement programs diverts already limited resources and blurs the lines of accountability between local, state, and federal governments. (e) State and local participation in federal immigration enforcement programs also raises constitutional concerns, including the prospect that California residents could be detained in violation of the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution, targeted on the basis of race or ethnicity in violation of the Equal Protection Clause, or denied access to education based on immigration status…. (f) This chapter seeks to ensure effective policing, to protect the safety, well-being, and constitutional rights of the people of California, and to direct the state’s limited resources to matters of greatest concern to state and local governments. (g) It is the intent of the Legislature that this chapter shall not be construed as providing, expanding, or ratifying any legal authority for any state or local law enforcement agency to participate in immigration enforcement.” Cal. Govt. Code §§ 7284.2. IV. Sharing of ALPR Data Contradicts Chula Vista’s Commitments to Protect All Residents. Lack of Transparency and Accountability Reveal Need for Increased Protections and Independent Oversight. Early in 2017, community members, concerned about the cruelty wrought by the federal government’s immigration enforcement actions, asked the Chula Vista City Council (“City Council”) to declare Chula Vista a sanctuary city that would not cooperate with federal immigration agencies.24 A few months later, after hearing public comments and considering recommendations by City staff, the City Council voted unanimously to adopt a seven-point resolution25 that laid out a comprehensive approach to welcome and protect all members of the community, regardless of immigration status, and to reject cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Over the next three years, the City of Chula Vista adopted a series of measures, including joining the Welcoming America network, establishing a Human Relations Commission,26 and supporting local, state, and 24 Clerk of the City of Chula Vista, Meeting Minutes, Chula Vista City Council (Jan. 10, 2017), https://chulavista.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx. 25 Clerk of the City of Chula Vista, Meeting Minutes, Chula Vista City Council(Apr. 25, 2017), https://drive.google.com/file/d/1llbl39J9kJwzHMVoOPDunFUOJvFOgD9f/view?usp=sharing (adopting city council resolution No. 2017-063). 26 City of Chula Vista, Human Relations Commission, https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/city- clerk/boards-commissions/boards-commissions-list/human-relations-commission. 8 federal legislation to protect immigrant communities.27 Most notable was the process that led Chula Vista to become the first certified “Welcoming City” in California.28 Also in 2017, Chula Vista Police Chief Kennedy issued a statement to clarify that the focus of the CVPD: “The spotlight on the proposed changes in the National immigration policy has caused anxiety and uneasiness in many undocumented individuals fearing arrest and deportation from our community. I want to take the opportunity to put your minds at ease and state that all members of our community matter, regardless of immigration status. The Chula Vista Police Department’s focus is on public safety, not immigration.”29 During this same time period - in direct contradiction to the City’s public measures to protect and reassure all residents - the CVPD quietly requested a quote (dated October 26, 2017) for new ALPR equipment and data sharing technology and a contract with Vigilant Solutions, LLC, was signed by the City on December 28, 2017. This purchase and new relationship with Vigilant allowed the City of Chula Vista to routinely capture and share the exact whereabouts of local residents, visitors, employees, etc., with over 800 private and public agencies across the country, including federal immigration agencies. The City’s data-sharing contract with Vigilant was not revealed until almost three years later, in an article published in the San Diego Union Tribune in December, 2020.30 The Mayor and City Council were reported to have been unaware of the arrangement, and the Police Chief later admitted that she had not known its details.31 Community members responded with an immediate outcry, demanding answers and a halt to Chula Vista’s ALPR program. The City announced at the end of the next Council meeting that they had stopped sharing ALPR data with two, but not all, federal immigration agencies, and the Mayor promised a comprehensive report in early January 2021. Meanwhile Chula Vista’s ALPR program has continued - sharing ALPR data with hundreds of agencies across the nation. The ad hoc community group which formed at that time has continued to call for transparency and accountability from the City of Chula Vista. We submitted an CPRA request for relevant information in December 2020; this was quickly followed by a letter signed by over 40 organizations and individuals, requesting that the City provide for broad public review and community engagement, including a series of community listening sessions to expand opportunities for community participation in the decision-making process about this critical issue. Community 27 See generally Chronology of Contradictory Policies and Practices in the City of Chula Vista, available at https://docs.google.com/document/d/1y4FNt78KXcLAUg8czmFg8spMjkWQtDgvvhMLhxI9i_0/edit?usp=sharing (chronicling City of Chula Vista protections and welcoming policies). 28 Chula Vista Named First ‘Welcoming City’ for Immigrants in California, KPBS, Dec. 3, 2019, https://www.kpbs.org/news/2019/dec/03/chula-vista-named-first-welcoming-city-immigrants-/. 29 City of Chula Vista, Welcoming City, https://www.chulavistaca.gov/departments/city-manager/welcoming (last visited Mar. 12, 2021). 30 Gustavo Solis, Chula Vista Gives Immigration Officials, Others Access to License Plate Reader Data: Data Includes Location, Date and Time of Every Vehicle Photographed, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, Dec. 6, 2020, https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/south-county/chula-vista/story/2020-12-06/chula-vista-gives- immigration-officials-others-access-to-license-plate-reader-data. 31 Gustavo Solis, Chula Vista Police Chief Says She Didn’t Know Department Shared Data With Feds, VOICE OF SAN DIEGO, Jan. 20, 2021, https://www.voiceofsandiego.org/topics/government/chula-vista-police-chief-says-she-didnt- know-department-shared-data-with-feds/. 9 members have expressed concerns in numerous eComments and emails to City leaders regarding the ALPR program. As of the writing of this letter, however, the City has not meaningfully addressed our requests and concerns, and we still do not know when or how the comprehensive ALPR report promised for January 2021 will be released. For the individuals and organizations who have signed onto this letter, the City of Chula Vista no longer feels safe or “Welcoming.” The purchase and deployment of ALPR surveillance technology and data-sharing, without informed oversight or community input, have undermined trust in the City’s commitments to safety and equal protection for all. Sensitive location information of vulnerable community members has been shared directly with federal agencies including CBP, ICE, and HSI. There appear to be no protections or procedures in place to prevent Chula Vista’s license plate data from being shared informally (as occurred in La Habra), or otherwise made available to federal agencies. Sharing Chula Vista’s ALPR surveillance data allows federal immigration enforcement agencies to target individuals based on immigration status and to perform other illegal dragnet investigations, tearing apart the families and the fabric of the community, as well as destroying trust in city government and in the promise of the civil liberties protections for all members of the Chula Vista community. The failure of the City to monitor its ALPR program demonstrates the urgent need to enact strong protections and independent oversight of the City’s surveillance programs. V. Chula Vista Police Department Should Terminate Its Use of Invasive Surveillance Technology and Establish Policies and a Privacy Advisory Board. The use of ALPR technology creates well-documented risks to civil liberties and civil rights.32 While the Chula Vista Police Department may take steps to remove certain federal agencies from the list of those with access to driver location information, the risk of informal sharing with these agencies remains. Thus, the best way to ensure that Chula Vista residents are safe from unnecessary intrusion into their personal lives is to reject the use of ALPR technology altogether. A growing number of California cities have ended or declined contracts with Vigilant because of the risks that widespread sharing of ALPR data poses to their residents.33 We urge the City of Chula Vista and the Chula Vista Police Department to do the same. 32 See, e.g., Ángel Díaz & Rachel Levinson-Waldman, Automatic License Plate Readers: Legal Status and Policy Recommendations for Law Enforcement Use, BRENNAN CTR. FOR JUST., Sept. 10, 2020, https://www.brennancenter.org/our- work/research-reports/automatic-license-plate-readers-legal-status-and-policy-recommendations; Dave Maass, ICE Accesses a Massive Amount of License Plate Data. Will California Take Action?, ELECTRONIC FRONTIER F., Jan. 29, 2018, https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/01/ice-accesses-massive-amount-license-plate-data-will-california-take-action; ELEC. FRONTIER FOUND., supra note 2; AM. CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, Automatic License Plate Readers, https://www.aclu.org/issues/privacy-technology/location-tracking/automatic-license-plate-readers (last visited Mar. 12, 2021); AM. CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, supra note 2. 33 See, e.g., Libby Leyden, State Audits License Plate Readers: City May Postpone Discussion of Use in Half Moon Bay, HALF MOON BAY REVIEW, July 10, 2019, https://www.hmbreview.com/news/state-audits-license-plate- readers/article_a75ef500-a348-11e9-ae13-fb224b7a6644.html (Half Moon Bay); Marco Rodriguez, ‘If they don’t want it, I won’t force it’: Delano Police Chief Said He Plans to Advise City Council Against License Plate Reading Technology, KERN SOL NEWS, July 1, 2019, https://southkernsol.org/2019/07/01/if-they-dont-want-it-i-wont-force-it-delano-police-chief-said-he- plans-to-advise-city-council-against-license-plate-reading-technology/ (City of Delano); City Council Drops Vigilant Solutions Contract Over Risk To Immigrant Community, SFGate, June 26, 2019, https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/City-Council-Drops-Vigilant-Solutions-Contract-14054732.php (City of Richmond); Meeting Minutes, Special Meeting of the Culver City Council, Culver City Housing Authority Board, and 10 Further, we urge City of Chula Vista officials to adopt a process that requires transparency, oversight, and meaningful community engagement on the deployment of any surveillance technologies. The ACLU has published a model ordinance that cities can adapt for their local needs.34 This ordinance would require agencies to seek public approval of surveillance technologies in advance of their deployment. The ordinance would further require agencies seeking to acquire surveillance technologies to explain publicly the purpose of the acquisitions, the policies that will govern the technologies’ use, the costs of the technologies, the technologies’ risks to communities’ privacy and civil rights, and the availability of alternatives to the proposed technologies. Armed with this information, the Chula Vista community can better assess whether to sanction the acquisition and use of such technologies—helping secure much-needed trust between the community and its local government. Within the usage and privacy ordinance, the City should adopt a policy that empowers community members with the knowledge and technical details necessary to decide what surveillance technologies, if any, should be deployed in the City. This policy should adopt explicit privacy and civil liberties protections, including protections to prevent residents’ data from being used for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration law. In addition, we urge the City of Chula Vista to establish an independent community-led Privacy Advisory Board to oversee acquisition and use of surveillance technology. The Board would include community members, transparency advocates, technology experts, and lawyers. The Board would conduct annual reviews of reports and impact analyses of any existing surveillance technology and set up criteria for analysis of any future surveillance technologies. *** In conclusion, we demand that the City of Chula Vista and the Chula Vista Police Department immediately stop any and all ALPR data-sharing relationships and practices that may provide CBP, ICE or HSI with access to driver location information, whether through formal permission, informal sharing, system misuse, or lack of knowledge and oversight. We also urge the City to do the following: ● Terminate the contract with Vigilant Solutions, LLC, and use of license plate reader surveillance technology altogether. ● Pass a usage and privacy ordinance governing Chula Vista’s use of surveillance technology that is compliant with S.B. 34 and S.B. 54. ● Establish an independent community-led Privacy Advisory Board to oversee acquisition and use of surveillance technology. Successor Agency to the Culver City Redevelopment Agency Board (Mar. 13, 2018), https://culver- city.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=M&ID=596334&GUID=0D716B8A-439C-4B1E-A14C-54C706DB3AF7 (Culver City); Russell Brandom, ICE Contract Sparks License Plate Reader Backlash from Cities, THE VERGE, Feb. 7, 2018, https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/7/16988058/ice-license-plate-reader-backlash-alameda-deportation-aclu (City of Alameda); Haley Pedersen, Communities Across the Country Reject Automated License Plate Readers, ELEC. FRONTIER FOUND., Aug. 21, 2019, https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2019/08/communities-across-country-reject-automated-license-plate- readers. 34 ACLU OF N. CAL., SURVEILLANCE TOOLKIT: MODEL LEGISLATION FOR A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY & COMMUNITY SAFETY ORDINANCE (2020), https://bit.ly/3bCPUle. 11 We also request the following records, pursuant to the California Public Records Act (Government Code §§ 6250, et. seq.) and Article I § 3(b) of the California Constitution: ● Records confirming that the Chula Vista Police Department has stopped any direct sharing of ALPR data with federal immigration enforcement agencies, including CBP, ICE, and HSI. ● Records of any communications between the Chula Vista Police Department and federal immigration enforcement agencies, including CBP, ICE, and HSI, relating to license plate reader data, Vigilant Solutions, Perceptics, and/or the LEARN database. Thank you for your attention. We look forward to your prompt action and response. Sincerely, COMMUNITY MEMBERS: Adriana Jasso, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 8 Alicia Riley, PhD, MA, MPH, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Allison Estrada, MD, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 3 (Padilla) Angelica Ruiz, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 4 (Cardenas) Barb Huntington, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 1 (McCann) Becki Wallies, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 3 Becky Thimm, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 1 (McCann) Beryl Flom, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 1 Birdie Gutierrez, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Brenda Aguirre, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Candace Young-Schult, Concerned Resident of City of Carlsbad Carolyn Theiss-Aird, Social Justice Chair, Pilgrim United Church of Christ, Carlsbad Caryn Hoffman, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 1 (McCann) Connie Mack, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Darryl Tell, Concerned Resident of Carlsbad David Harris, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 4 Denise Harder, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Dinora Reyna-Gutierrez, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 3 (Padilla) Emily Green, Concerned Resident of La Mesa Ismahan Abdullahi, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 9 Jacob Babauta, Concerned Resident of Bonita, County Supervisor District 1 (Vargas) Jerilyn Nolfi Brown, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Jose Lopez, Concerned Resident of Imperial Beach Kate Bishop, Vice President, Chula Vista Elementary Board of Education Kathy Cappos Hardy, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Kathy Tell, Concerned Resident of Carlsbad Kelly Gates, Associate Professor UC San Diego, Communication Larry Stowell, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 2 Lilly Irani, Associate Professor UC San Diego, Communication Lois Keplin, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 4 (Cardenas) Luz Maria Lopez, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 1 (McCann) Lynn DeHahn, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) 12 Margaret A. Baker, DrPH, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Marely Ramirez, Concerned Resident of Coronado Maria E. Mora, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Mejgan Afshan, Concerned Resident of La Mesa Monica Santos, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Nancy Hazelton, Concerned Resident of San Diego Nancy Relaford, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 3 Nandita Kar, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 5 Nick Paul, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 3 (Padilla) Norell Martínez, PhD, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Patricia Huffman, 91-Year Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Pedro Rios, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 4 (Cardenas) Ricardo Medina, Ph.D., Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 2 (Galvez) Roberto Alcantar, Vice President of Southwestern Community College District Ronel Desauguste, Concerned Resident of south San Diego Ruth Kaplan, Concerned Resident of San Diego District 1 Tania Calvillo, Concerned Resident of Chula Vista District 3 (Padilla) Terry Zack, Concerned Resident of City of Coronado Tina Givens, Tech Workers Coalition-SD Vivian Marlene Dunbar, Concerned Resident of San Ysidro Wilda Vallon, Concerned Resident of south San Diego ORGANIZATIONS: Advancing Students Forward Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial Counties Border Angels Borderlands for Equity Change Begins With ME (Indivisible) Employee Rights Center (ERC) Espacio Migrante Indivisible San Diego Persist MAS PACE (Muslim American Society-Public Affairs and Civic Engagement) National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON) Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans (PANA) Pillars of the Community Rise Up San Diego San Diego Border Dreamers San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium Secure Justice South Bay People Power Showing Up for Racial Justice – San Diego (SURJ-SD) Tech Workers Coalition-SD The San Diego LGBT Community Center TRUST SD (Transparent and Responsible Use of Surveillance Technology San Diego) Coalition Together We Will San Diego UURISE - Unitarian Universalist Refugee and Immigrant Services and Education 13 US-Mexico Border program, American Friends Service Committee encl. CC: Mary Casillas Salas, Mayor of Chula Vista Chula Vista City Council Roxana Kennedy, Chula Vista Police Chief Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher State Senator Ben Hueso Congressman Juan Vargas City Clerk, City of Chula Vista Human Relations Commission Meeting Time: 03-25-21 18:00 eComments Report Meetings Meeting Time Agenda Items Comments Support Oppose Neutral Human Relations Commission 03-25-21 18:00 20 15 0 13 1 Sentiments for All Meetings The following graphs display sentiments for comments that have location data. Only locations of users who have commented will be shown. Overall Sentiment Human Relations Commission 03-25-21 18:00 Agenda Name Comments Support Oppose Neutral PUBLIC COMMENTS 3 0 2 1 4. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE REGARDING LICENSE PLATER READER PROGRAM 12 0 11 0 Sentiments for All Agenda Items The following graphs display sentiments for comments that have location data. Only locations of users who have commented will be shown. Overall Sentiment Agenda Item: eComments for PUBLIC COMMENTS Overall Sentiment Maria Mora Location: 91910, Chula Vista Submitted At: 5:05pm 03-25-21 STOP the ALPR program IMMEDIATELY: they continue to share with our data with HSI (an investigative branch of ICE) & 800 other agencies nationwide. Becky Thimm Location: 91910, Chula Vista Submitted At: 4:34pm 03-25-21 I would like for the City of Chula Vista to STOP the ALPR program IMMEDIATELY! The information that is being shared SHOULD NOT be going to HSI, ICE and 800 other agencies. That is an invasion of privacy. Officials of Chula Vista, PLEASE LISTEN: Your citizens need to be heard! There are other view points besides yours and the CVPD's on the issue of surveillance and privacy and who does and does NOT have the right to have the right to information about us/them. In the CVPD's Report the people in our community are referred to as "offenders". Is that a term from Vigilant Solutions? I certainly hope it is not from CVPD. Legally that is the wrong term and people in our community should NEVER be referred to in that manner. Thank you for listening to my concerns. Grace Sardina Location: Submitted At: 1:11pm 03-25-21 Hello, I am very kindly requesting you to please add the status of the Christopher Columbus statue to your agenda. Since the statue was donated to the city, we are hoping to open negotiations for the donation of the statue to be given to the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America. The Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America is the largest and oldest national organization for men and women of Italian heritage in the United States. We represent the estimated 17 million Americans of Italian heritage, dedicated to promoting our culture, our traditions, our language, the legacy of our ancestors, and our contributions to the U.S. and the world. Our national headquarters is in Washington, D.C., near Capitol Hill and have two lodges here in San Diego county that are more than happy to assist in finding an appropriate home for the statue. We do not wish for our statue of pride to be in a place where the community lacks the understanding of its meaning and purpose. Columbus Day originated as a celebration of Italian American heritage. The statue holds great value and meaning to our culture and community in San Diego. Please let us know what we can do to help and peacefully resolve the situation. We do not want to see a piece of Italian American history sit in storage or get thrown out and forgotten. Agenda Item: eComments for 4. HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE REGARDING LICENSE PLATER READER PROGRAM Overall Sentiment John Earl Location: Chula Vista Submitted At: 10:49am 03-26-21 I am a resident of the 4th district in Chula Vista. I am opposed to the ALPR program. There are too many unanswered questions and possibilities for abuse of the information gathered. Mass, blanket intelligence gathering by law enforcement seems more like a building block for a potential police state than protecting the public. We shouldn't fear take away the basic foundations of a democratic state. Also, on a side note, this form requires people to leave their full name but under the law that information is not required. Please inform the public of that fact. Thank you Tania Calvillo Location: 91915, Chula Vista Submitted At: 11:21pm 03-25-21 We pride ourselves self as a Welcoming City.” ALPR program is definitely not welcoming at all. This is not who we are as a city. Margaret Baker Location: Submitted At: 6:06pm 03-25-21 Chula Vista prides itself in being the first certified Welcoming City, but this program completely undermines any commitment to upholding the protection of its residents and anyone conducting business in the City. We deserve accountability from our elected officials, but instead, they have discounted concerns and there is little interest in being transparent about the reach of the surveillance program. I am part of an ad hoc group that represents many concerned and knowledgable members of our community. We formed in early December when the UT article revealed that our city had been feeding ICE & CBP & HSI and more than 800 agencies across the country. We are still asking how did this happen? And why is it continuing? After all our work on Welcoming Cities policies, we feel betrayed and call on the City to: 1) stop the ALPR program & end the contract with Vigilant Solutions; 2) enact a usage & privacy ordinance to address all surveillance tech use; 3) establish an independent, community-led oversight board & strict reporting requirements. Tonight I call on our Human Relations Commissioners to hold the City accountable to a process that INCLUDES our community voices. The 3-part process they have proposed in not adequate. We call for real community dialogue and respect for our positions. WE are NOT the enemy. We live, work and care for our loved ones in Chula Vista, and are rightfully challenging our City to stop this program that undermines our basic civil liberties. Nancy Relaford Location: 92104, San Diego Submitted At: 5:22pm 03-25-21 It seems that the City of Chula Vista cares more about being a “Smart City” than being a “Welcoming City." The CVPD’s ALPR Report is padded with platitudes, generalities, self congratulation, and half truths, and raises more concerns than it answers. As just one example, the report states that in April 2020, in response to an ACLU request, the department researched its Vigilant sharing lists, saw that ICE and Border Patrol were there, “and sought legal guidance to ensure that data sharing was compliant with SB54.” (p. 4) But when the Union Tribune article exposed the data sharing in December 2020, Chief Kennedy claimed she “didn’t even realize that there was ICE and Border Patrol on there.” What's the truth? Instead of dismissing community concerns and fast tracking surveillance technology, Chula Vista City Council should be asking serious questions of its Police Department leadership, and seeking to regain and retain the trust of the community. Our concerns about privacy, civil rights, and treatment of vulnerable community members are well researched and valid; we expect a transparent, respectful, and inclusive response! Denise Harder Location: 91911, Chula Vista Submitted At: 4:52pm 03-25-21 Please stop the ALPR program IMMEDIATELY. At this time there has only been 1 public workshop for the public to learn about the program or provide feedback to you. Table this item, and allow sufficient time for true public input. Monica Santos Location: Submitted At: 4:41pm 03-25-21 I request that the CVPD stop using surveillance cameras that trace license plates and share information with other agencies. Chula Vista is a Welcoming City and should live up to the values that correspond. We should feel safe, listened to and part of the dialogue and decision making. The CV City Council should represent the people it serves. I request that this activity stop! Pedro Rios Location: 91911, Chula Vista Submitted At: 4:20pm 03-25-21 I'm a 17-year resident of Chula Vista's District 4, and I also represent the American Friends Service Committee's US-Mexico Border Program, a human rights organization that works on border and immigration issues. I write to express my concern to the City's use of ALPR technology, a surveillance program that has no accountability guidelines. The website for Chula Vista's ALPR page is blank, without any information about how it is used or monitored for misuse. This is representative of the lack of transparency with which community members have faced in attempting to address concerns with City officials. It is imperative that the Human Relations Commission recommend the following: 1) STOP the ALPR program IMMEDIATELY: CVPD continues to share our data with HSI (an investigative branch of ICE) & 800 other agencies nationwide; 2) City officials must LISTEN: One public workshop is inadequate to address concerns and hear from constituents; 3) CVPD's report fails to answer community concerns and makes unsubstantiated claims, without genuine community input, and doesn't present costs about the ALPR program. Chula Vista city officials must prioritize the safety of residents and those who conduct business in the City. The ALPR is a slippery slope technology that places everyone's civil liberties at risk. Thank you, Pedro Rios AFSC Norell Martinez Location: 91910, Chula Vista Submitted At: 4:10pm 03-25-21 Chula Vista City Council is not listening to its community. If it did, it would immediately STOP CVPD Surveillance. We do NOT want our whereabouts and images of our cars (and sometimes passengers) shared with over 800 agencies across the country. We already have drones flying over our backyards, is that not enough surveillance? I oppose the drone program and the ALPR. The CVPD report has whitewashed the ALPR surveillance program: No matter what claims it makes about using “best practices”, CVPD cannot control what happens to our data once they are SHARED. Despite anecdotal claims about “too many success stories”, NO REAL DATA are presented. In addition, a recent CA audit of LA County’s ALPR databases showed that 99.9% of images collected were not connected to any crime. And what about the “false positives”? We need the WHOLE TRUTH! Stop the dragnet! establish an INDEPENDENT, community-led advisory board to OVERSEE acquisition & use of surveillance technology. Instead of blindly funding the police, why not fund libraries, parks, programs and for teenagers, house the homeless, fund the arts, mental health programs and create job opportunities . That is what will make Chula Vista great, not more drones and more surveillance! Patricia Huffman Location: Submitted At: 4:09pm 03-25-21 I am against the ALPR program, and I feel that my voice is not being heard Brenda Aguirre Location: 91910, Chula Vista Submitted At: 4:03pm 03-25-21 The police report fails to answer community concerns; claims are unsubstantiated; treats people in our community as “offenders”; doesn’t tell the whole story (on costs, and false positives, and harm done by massive surveillance data collection); LACKS TRANSPARENCY & ACCOUNTABILITY REGARDING THE MISTAKES THEY CONTINUE TO MAKE THAT PUT OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS AT RISK AND DESTROY TRUST IN OUR CITY. Its insulting that the city claimed we as concerned citizens let ourselves be guided by social media or other reports instead of listening to the police research, WE have had countless meetings, we have done our our research, we have data and testimony and its so disrespectful to disregard us like that. ALPR technology violated the spirit of SB54 plain and simple! Jerilyn Brown Location: Submitted At: 3:55pm 03-25-21 I have been a resident of Chula Vista since 1955 and have always enjoyed the diverse population. I am so pleased that we have chosen to be a Welcoming City, but I do NOT think that the use of the ALPR technology reflects that attitude. Please, listen to the citizens who are sensitive to our community and do NOT want this information shared. Thank you Kathy Hardy Location: Submitted At: 3:46pm 03-25-21 I was so impressed with the hard work and energy that the Human Relations Commission put into the process for Chula Vista to be certified as a Welcoming City. What a wonderful title to be attributed to a city, especially if it is relevant and true. I am concerned that the title’s relevancy is at stake with the continuing use of ALPR technology and the data collected by it. Where does this information go and who has access to it? Why is there no community-led oversight in place for this intrusive technology? What role will this commission play to make sure that our privacy rights are protected? I am hopeful that you will become part of the solution in Chula Vista and demand that the ALPR program is stopped and that data sharing ceases immediately.