The Fullerton City Council on Tuesday will be asked to choose between two companies competing for the city’s solid waste contract. It will also be asked to give police direction on a license plate camera program that has operated since 2021.

The meeting begins at 5:30 pm on October 6 in the Council Chamber, 303 W. Commonwealth Ave. The 4 pm first session has been canceled. The agenda lists a remote participation location in Seoul, South Korea, meaning at least one council member is expected to join by teleconference.

Trash contract

The council is being asked to select a proposer for solid waste management services. Staff also wants authorization to negotiate final contract terms and return for final contract approval. The city’s tentative agenda forecast already lists a “Solid Waste Management Services RFP Award” for the October 20 meeting, which leaves two weeks for negotiations.

The item returns after the council declined to pick a hauler at its previous meeting on September 15. On a 3-2 vote, Mayor Pro Tem Nicholas Dunlap and Council Members Ahmad Zahra and Shana Charles removed Valley Vista from the list of three finalists. They directed staff to seek better terms from the remaining two, Republic Services and CR&R. Mayor Fred Jung, who strongly objected to dropping Valley Vista, and Council Member Jamie Valencia voted no.

During that discussion, it was noted that Jung received a campaign contribution from Fullerton Taxpayers for Reform, run by Tony Bushala, who received $14,750 from David Perez, president of Valley Vista Trash Hauling Services. Verified from 460 filings from 2024.

The choice between Republic and CR&R now goes back before the council. A change in haulers would affect trash, recycling and organics service for every residential and commercial customer in the city. The staff report and presentation are posted with the agenda here: https://fullerton.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=A&ID=1344666&GUID=574A008C-B17E-4975-85F9-EBE86DA98081

Fullerton Police Flock program

The second item asks the council to “provide direction to staff regarding the existing Automated License Plate Reader program.” The staff report, submitted by Police Chief Jon Radus, lists no specific options. It says that if the council ends the program, staff would discontinue service and handle the existing agreements under their terms. The department recommends continuing the program, citing its investigative value and existing safeguards.

Fullerton operates 19 Flock cameras, according to the staff report. The city has spent about $236,000 on them since 2021. The current annual cost is $51,000, paid from the General Fund. The department also uses license plate readers from Vigilant Solutions, the vendor for its original 2007 system. It put Vigilant readers in parking enforcement vehicles in 2019 as part of the downtown paid parking program.

The packet does not agree on the camera mix. The staff report and contracts describe 16 fixed cameras and three portable Flex units. The accompanying presentation says 17 fixed and two mobile.

Contract history. Flock arrived in 2021 with five cameras, the staff report says. Ten more were added in 2022 under the council-approved spending plan for federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, as part of a CCTV project. The three agreements now in force were each signed by police department staff:

• July 10, 2023: a five-year order for 14 fixed cameras and one Flex camera at $38,000 a year. The total is $190,000 after a $37,500 discount. It was signed by then-Chief Robert Dunn.
• November 12, 2025: a three-year order for two fixed cameras at $6,000 a year, $18,800 total, paid with grant funds.
• March 4, 2026: a three-year order for two Flex cameras at $7,000 a year, $21,000 total.

Each order renews automatically unless either side gives notice at least 30 days before its term ends. Most of these contracts were in the consent calendar instead of a public hearing.

The 2023 agreement’s software package lets the department look up plates captured by cameras in Flock’s statewide and nationwide networks. It also gives access to privately owned Flock cameras whose owners share them with the department.

The topic was also discussed at the previous meeting. The police chief presented a report then but was unable to answer several questions from Zahra. The packet for Tuesday contains a revised staff report and presentation.

State law question. A central slide addresses SB 34, a 2015 state law. It requires agencies to provide an opportunity for public comment at a regularly scheduled public meeting before implementing a license plate reader program. The department argues the law does not apply to Flock. It argues that the city’s program began in 2007, when the council approved a federally grant-funded system, before SB 34 took effect January 1, 2016. The presentation describes the 2021 addition of Flock as “a vendor addition,” not a new program. It also says the state Department of Justice’s guidance does not address vendor changes.

Retention. The staff report, the presentation and all three contracts set a 30-day retention period for license plate data. However, Section 428.5 of the department’s ALPR policy, included in the packet, states that data downloaded to the server “should be stored for a minimum of one year.” The packet does not explain the difference.

Sharing and limits. Under Department Policy 428, officers may share data only with California state and local agencies. Out-of-state and federal agencies are excluded, and release for immigration enforcement is prohibited. Officers must enter a case number and reason before searching, complete training before gaining access, and accept a disclaimer at each login. The Crimes Property sergeant is assigned quarterly audits. Police say the cameras capture still images, not video, and do not use facial recognition or personal identity data.

The presentation says Flock’s machine-learning software identifies plates, vehicle type and features such as roof racks and bumper stickers. Data is stored on Amazon Web Services infrastructure, including AWS GovCloud.

Cost comparison. The department lists Flock’s price at $51,000 a year for 19 cameras and a comparable Axon quote at $51,278.50. The presentation describes Vigilant as operating a network that pools data from many sources, with all customers’ camera data available to search. No Vigilant price is listed.

The presentation also contrasts license plate readers with the city’s 432 CCTV cameras. Police operate 413 of them, and 19 are for traffic. Those cameras record video and keep it for two years.

Separately, the consent calendar includes acceptance of a $288,900 state Office of Traffic Safety grant for the police department’s Selective Traffic Enforcement Program.

Landmarks and Preservation Zones

• Landmarks: A public hearing on adding five properties to the city’s local register of historical resources: 401 Cannon Lane, 845 N. Euclid St., 545 W. Fern Drive, 600 W. Valley View Drive and the “Flight” sculpture at 353 W. Commonwealth Ave.
• Lower Golden Hill: A public hearing on rezoning properties from R-1-7.2 to R-1-7.2P, creating a new historic preservation zone. The area is bounded by Richman Avenue, Malvern Avenue and the west side of Drake Avenue. The ordinance would be introduced for first reading.
• Lobbyist registration: The council will choose a model for a local lobbyist registration and disclosure program. Decisions include who is covered, reporting rules, enforcement and funding. The item was placed on the agenda at the request of Zahra, seconded by Charles.

Public comment placed late

As at recent meetings, several items are scheduled after all five regular business and public hearing items. These are general public comment on non-agenda items, the consent calendar and council member reports. Residents who want to speak on topics not on the agenda will have to wait through the trash, Flock, landmark, zoning and lobbying items. The agenda’s standing rules still state that the council allows up to 30 minutes “at the beginning of the Regular Session” for non-agenda comments.

Speakers on agenda items are called when the mayor opens each item and have three minutes.

How to participate

The meeting streams at fullerton.legistar.com and airs on Spectrum Channel 3 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99. Remote commenters can join via Zoom, meeting ID 160 256 5242, or by phone at 669-254-5252. Written comments may be emailed to CouncilMembers@cityoffullerton.com with the item number in the subject line.

The council meets again on October 20. The November 3 meeting has been canceled.

Agenda