Kathryn Sears
More than 100 residents filled the meeting room at the Feldheym Central Library on Feb. 18, with over two dozen rallying specifically to protest the city’s contract with Flock Safety and urging officials not to renew an $84,000 annual agreement for 28 automated license plate reader cameras.
Public comment on the issue did not begin until about 7:40 p.m. — more than two hours after the meeting started — as the San Bernardino City Council first spent nearly 90 minutes debating a proposed ban on short-term rentals. Several pre-planned speakers left before they were able to address the council.
At one point during discussion of the rental ban, Councilman Fred Shorett said, “I’ve been very passionate about this short-term rental ban for quite some time.” During public comment, a speaker responded, “Old man Fred needs to be passionate about the homeless shelter and homelessness in this city.”
By the time the council opened the floor, seats were filled with residents and organizers from the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice and Just San Bernardino. Many attendees held signs reading “Get the flock out of SB” in English and Spanish.
The Flock Safety agreement, set to renew March 30, 2026, assists police in identifying stolen vehicles and suspects. The contract is under community scrutiny over privacy concerns and potential data sharing with federal immigration agencies.
Sheheryar Kaoosji, co-founder and executive director of the Warehouse Worker Resource Center, said the cameras are part of a broader surveillance system that disproportionately affects working-class communities of color.
“These cameras represent a consistent threat to the safety of local communities from federal agents,” Kaoosji told the council. He said residents are concerned that data collected by the cameras “can be used by local and state law enforcement agencies that target black and brown people whose lawful activities should not be recorded and collected.”
Kaoosji urged the council to agendize the contract before its renewal date, asking officials to “take the safety and privacy of its residents into account.”
In a separate statement to IECN, Kaoosji added that canceling the contract would demonstrate that elected officials are prioritizing residents’ safety. “Canceling San Bernardino’s contract with Flock is an important way the elected city council can show residents that they truly represent the people and are putting their safety first,” he said. “We don’t know who has access to this data and it could be used by federal agents to terrorize residents of San Bernardino. Without an intervention residents are not safe.”
Tania Gonzalez, community organizer and programs coordinator for The People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, criticized the council for the length of the short-term rental debate before public comment began.
“A lot of folks are coming from work to be here so you waste their time for almost two hours talking about rentals,” Gonzalez said. She called on the council to “end your contract with the Flock surveillance camera company,” arguing the cameras “are not here to keep our community safe” and instead “sell our information to government agencies that damage our community.”
Gonzalez urged officials to redirect funding to infrastructure and other community needs rather than “wasting taxpayer money in a company that’s just going to harm your community.”
Miriam Nieto, a Ward 7 resident and organizer with Just San Bernardino, said she does not support her taxes going toward a contract that could aid federal immigration enforcement.
“As a resident of the city, I do not support for my taxes to go towards any contract that will further aid ICE in terrorizing our communities,” Nieto said. “We need to get the Flock cameras out of our city and make sure that they don’t come back.”
Ana, a leader with San Bernardino Airport Communities, also urged the council to terminate the agreement. “They can finally do something right and end the Flock contract,” she said, adding that residents feel their concerns have not been prioritized.
As of the meeting’s conclusion, the council had not taken action on the Flock contract. The renewal date remains set for March 30, 2026, leaving residents questioning whether the issue will be agendized before the agreement automatically renews.
For the dozens who came specifically to oppose the cameras — and the more than 100 residents in attendance overall — the message was consistent: they want the contract reconsidered before time runs out.
The next San Bernardino City Council meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 4 with a closed session starting at 4 PM and the regular/open session at 5 PM.
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