Los Angeles County

Belmont Shore-Naples

California

Long Beach Lifeguards Offer Summer Beach Tips

Safety precautions while in the water and on the sand can help prevent tragedy.

Community Corner

Friend Fest Works To Lower Crime In Willmore City

Residents of Long Beach's oldest neighborhood unite to cut gun violence by building relationships.

Kids & Family 

Venice-Mar Vista

Public Opinion Still Divided on Opening of...

Parking issues and crowds were a couple of concerns raised over the three-month pilot program for the Zipline set to open on July.

Public Opinion Still Divided on Opening of Upcoming Venice Zipline

Parking issues and crowds were a few concerns raised at Tuesday night's VNC meeting over the three-month pilot program for the Zipline set to open July 1.

Manhattan Beach

Summer Reading List Combines Play And Music For...

Children under the age of five can develop literacy skills with LEGO blocks and music produced just for them.

Summer Reading List Combines Play And Music For Young Children

Redondo Beach

Lillian Lord, 100, Leaves Mark on Redondo Beach

Centenerian and former city employee Lillian Lord has influenced many lives, including that of Councilman Pat Aust.

Politics & Government

Palos Verdes

Volunteer Trail Watch Aims to Educate Trail Users

Raising awareness and easing trail user tensions in the Palos Verdes Nature Preserve are among the program's priorities.

Brentwood

West Los Angeles Veterans Home Celebrates Army...

103-year-old World War II veteran Bea Cohen cuts the Army's ceremonial birthday cake.

West Los Angeles Veterans Home Celebrates Army’s 238th Birthday

Malibu

California Wildlife Center Releases Northern...

Four stranded Northern Elephant Seals were brought back to a healthy weight and released into the wild after being abandoned by their mothers.

California Wildlife Center Releases Northern Elephant Seal Pups

Santa Monica

Surfers Face Off at Santa Monica Pier...

Surfers Face Off at Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Races

Spanish Fare Taberna Arros y Vi Debuts in Santa...

New restaurant offers a diverse menu using locally grown ingredients and full bar.

Spanish Fare Taberna Arros y Vi Debuts in Santa Monica

Arts & Entertainment

'Course of the Force' Race Returns to Santa...

Star Wars enthusiasts get the chance to dress up and run to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

'Course of the Force' Race Returns to Santa Monica Pier

Erika Maldonado

Scott Snowden

Los Angeles Metropolitan Area

I am reporting all over the Westside, South Bay, Long Beach and Cerritos for Patch this summer before returning to the Bay Area to graduate from San Francisco State University in December.  When I am not parked on the 405 freeway rushing to my next assignment, you can find me on the beach or chasing my three and five-year-old nephews around the house. I was born and raised in the South Bay and am living in Torrance for the summer.

Hermosa Beach

Marina Del Rey

Culver City

South Gate-Lynwood

Long Beach

Los Angeles

Westwood-Century City

Ernie Howlett Park

Invigorate your body and soothe your soul along a scenic route of well-groomed horse trails and the serenity of nature. This chip-timed event features a custom finisher medal, premium event T-shirt, division awards, a live DJ, and a Health &amp; Fitness Expo.

Local Event: Palos Verdes Trail 5K

Palos Verdes Trail 5K

Invigorate your body and soothe your soul along a scenic route of well-groomed horse trails and the serenity of nature. This...

To say that the electorate is
angry is an understatement, as is the assertion that it has a right
to be.

When
one considers rampant corruption and rising costs that are making it
near impossible to live without concern, it&rsquo;s a wonder that the
proverbial camel&rsquo;s back has remained unbroken.

But,
there&rsquo;s another factor that just might do the trick: surveillance
camera systems.

At
issue are Automatic License Plate Readers, installed to identify and
track vehicles. The most prominent devices currently in use are those
from Flock Safety.

Among
the cities that contract with Flock is Rancho Palos Verdes, led by
Mayor Paul Seo, under which communities and Home Owner Associations
can obtain Flock cameras, with taxpayer funds covering half the cost.
So far, such installations have drawn three lawsuits. That&rsquo;s in
addition to the other surveillance cameras Seo and his council
colleagues already spent nearly $300,000 in taxpayer dollars to have
installed throughout the city. 


During
a recent city council meeting on the issue, a Flock representative
painted a rosy picture of her company&rsquo;s products and practices. Her
claims are contradicted by other available evidence, and Flock was
not challenged at this meeting by Paul Seo or his Council, despite
their known and very concerning practices around privacy and data
sharing. 


Here&rsquo;s
what we know: innocent people are being detained or arrested due to
mistakes made by the system. These systems are easily hacked, without
any data protection. And there isn&rsquo;t clarity on how the data is
being used or stored. Many have pointed out that they even violate
Americans&rsquo; right to privacy under the Fourth Amendment.

In
one incident reported, a motorist was pulled over by police
consistently because his license plate was put on a &ldquo;Flock camera
hot list.&rdquo; But there was no warrant out on him, and he has faced
roadblock after roadblock to get his license plate out of the system.
 


In
another case, a woman&rsquo;s car got captured on a Flock camera
while she was near the scene of a fatal hit-and-run incident. Though
unconnected, she had to spend almost two weeks in jail.

A
woman was even sought after when seeking abortion care, with law
enforcement using data retrieved from a Flock camera. 


One
has to wonder whether Paul Seo and his council have heard such
stories or are simply unaffected by them. Indeed, there has been a
steady drumbeat of approval for the last few years, despite public
outrage across the country. 


If
the matter of safety, liability and privacy is re-considered, perhaps
Seo and the Council will finally hear a cross-spectrum chorus to Get
the Flock Out!

Rolling Hills Estates

Get the Flock Out


To say that the electorate is
angry is an understatement, as is the assertion that it has a right
to be.

When
one considers rampant corruption an...

Nearby Communities

State Edition

National Edition

Erika Maldonado, Patch Staff

Posting Activity

Belmont Shore-Naples, CA|News|Jun 2013

Long Beach Lifeguards Offer Summer Beach Tips

Belmont Shore-Naples, CA|News|Jun 2013

Friend Fest Works To Lower Crime In Willmore City

Venice-Mar Vista, CA|News|Jun 2013

Public Opinion Still Divided on Opening of Upcoming Venice Zipline

Venice-Mar Vista, CA|News|Jun 2013

Public Opinion Still Divided on Opening of Upcoming Venice Zipline

Manhattan Beach, CA|News|Jun 2013

Summer Reading List Combines Play And Music For Young Children

Redondo Beach|News|Jun 2013

Lillian Lord, 100, Leaves Mark on Redondo Beach

Palos Verdes, CA|News|Jun 2013

Volunteer Trail Watch Aims to Educate Trail Users

Brentwood, CA|News|Jun 2013

West Los Angeles Veterans Home Celebrates Army’s 238th Birthday

Malibu, CA|News|Jun 2013

California Wildlife Center Releases Northern Elephant Seal Pups

Santa Monica, CA|News|Jun 2013

Surfers Face Off at Santa Monica Pier Paddleboard Races

Santa Monica, CA|News|Jun 2013

Spanish Fare Taberna Arros y Vi Debuts in Santa Monica

Santa Monica, CA|News|Jul 2013

'Course of the Force' Race Returns to Santa Monica Pier

Palos Verdes Trail 5K

Get the Flock Out