Zaldivar says he stands against Flock camera use in West Hollywood
Joel ZaldivarCandidate for West Hollywood City Council
Joel Zaldivar said he stands firmly against the use of Flock cameras, arguing that privacy should be treated as sacred even though the cameras have helped solve some crimes.
“As for the Flock cameras, I have to stand firmly against their use. Not because they haven’t been found to solve certain crimes in certain cases, but rather on the principle that privacy should be deemed sacred. We’re a community built upon the backs of so many who fought for the right to feel free of government oppression. Our history is filled with members of the LGBTQ+ community and many of our Russian-speaking residents who lived in fear of being surveilled for behavior deemed unlawful, immoral and unjust. Power begets power. We already have cameras in businesses, in city buildings, in public parks and now on our city streets. When will it be enough? We have to set sensible boundaries that don’t intentionally track our everyday lives as we move about the city.”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Networked automated license-plate readers record passing vehicles and let agencies search or share travel records across locations. Candidates and officials disagree over whether to prohibit these networks, keep them with legal limits, or defend their use for investigations. This tracker records attributable positions on that choice, including proposals that would affect only public funding or data access.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Signed campaign column by the candidate, published by WEHOonline as a written response to its City Council forum questions.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In a signed WEHOonline column setting out his City Council platform, Zaldivar wrote about SB 79, homelessness and the Fountain Avenue Streetscape Project before turning to the city's Flock cameras.
After the quotation
An editor's note says Zaldivar was one of four candidates who did not appear at WEHOonline's Aug. 16 City Council forum, and that the outlet invited them to answer the forum questions in writing, with the questions provided in advance.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The reference point is whether networked license-plate cameras such as Flock should exist and be used. Zaldivar says he stands firmly against their use on privacy grounds while granting they have helped solve some crimes. That is opposition to the cameras themselves, not a call for limits, so Condemned fits.
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- People and groups discussed
- Flock Safety
More from this case
Read the full caseJacob Burnett says Flock-style cameras should be done away with, with warrants required if they stay
“The systems themselves can be modified to prevent nearly all abuse and be made more secure by requiring warrants for access or follow through on any data the systems collect and have all data stored on the hardware itself preventing viewing from remote locations, requiring strict login credentials and a connecting warrant number to access. These are common sense changes that if the systems are to be used I feel could correct a lot of abuse or privacy concerns but I also feel the systems should be done away with overall, especially in the realm of predictive crime analytics.”Read statement
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“I believe flock cameras should be banned.”Read statement
Buddy Carter says license plate cameras help investigators but need privacy safeguards
“Technologies like license plate recognition cameras can provide valuable investigative tools, but they have also raised important questions about privacy and government oversight. As these systems become more common, it is important to balance public safety with appropriate safeguards that protect individual privacy.”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Zaldivar says he stands against Flock camera use in West Hollywood". First published: 2026-09-29. Last updated: 2026-09-29. https://disputeindex.com/events/3185-joel-zaldivar-said-he-stands-firmly-against-the