Assembly panel advances bill to limit license‑plate reader retention and tighten audits

The committee advanced SB 10 13, a bill aimed at strengthening statewide safeguards for automated license plate reader systems by limiting retention of ALPR data, tightening employee access controls, and requiring annual randomized audits by the Department of Justice.

Author framed the bill as a response to repeated audit findings and news reports documenting unlawful sharing and misuse of ALPR data. "The threat to privacy is not theoretical," the author said, citing state auditor and press investigations describing widespread violations and data sharing with external agencies.

Privacy advocates including Oakland Privacy and other analysts testified that most agencies already retain data 30 days or less and that a 30‑day default retention is evidence‑based. An Oakland Privacy researcher summarized the auditor's 2020 findings and argued statutory limits are overdue.

Law enforcement organizations, including the California State Sheriffs' Association and police chiefs, urged caution. Corey Salzillo for the sheriffs said retention beyond 30 days is valuable in solving crimes and that some life‑saving cases relied on older data. Jonathan Feldman for the Police Chiefs Association said technical fixes and clarifications could address issues without a strict 30‑day limit.

Committee members noted the history of previous bills and the need to balance investigative utility with privacy protection. The committee voted to pass the bill to the Committee on Privacy and Consumer Protection for further consideration.