By SDCN Staff
San Diego, CA–California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Friday filed a lawsuit against the City of El Cajon, alleging the city’s police department has continued to share license plate data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies in violation of state law.
Under Senate Bill 34 (SB 34), California prohibits state and local agencies from sharing data collected through Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) systems with federal or out-of-state law enforcement entities. The law aims to ensure that information gathered within California remains subject to the state’s privacy and data protection standards.
The lawsuit, filed in San Diego County Superior Court, asks the court to declare El Cajon’s data-sharing practices unlawful and to order the city to stop sharing ALPR data outside the state.
Bonta’s office said the Attorney General has issued several warnings and provided guidance to El Cajon officials over the past year about the restrictions under SB 34. The state’s petition alleges that, despite these notices, the El Cajon Police Department continued to share data with law enforcement agencies across multiple states.
In a statement, Bonta said maintaining public trust requires ensuring that Californians’ data is protected and used appropriately. He emphasized that the intent of SB 34 is to keep sensitive information about Californians within the state’s oversight.
Automated License Plate Reader systems use cameras to capture license plate numbers, along with the time, date, and location of each scan. These systems are often operated by third-party vendors that store and manage the data. Privacy advocates and state officials have raised concerns that such data could be used for purposes beyond local law enforcement, including immigration enforcement or surveillance activities outside California’s jurisdiction.
The Attorney General’s office previously issued a law enforcement bulletin in 2023 outlining that federal and out-of-state agencies do not qualify as “public agencies” under California’s ALPR statute. Following that notice, Bonta’s office said it contacted El Cajon officials directly, but the city did not alter its data-sharing practices.
The City of El Cajon has not yet issued a public response to the lawsuit.
