Active
Who approved this?
Approved 6-1 by Costa Mesa City Council on July 21, 2026.
The city has used license plate readers for 15 years and has contracted with Flock since 2022; it runs 46 cameras at $151,800 per year. On July 21, 2026, the council voted 6-1 to keep the contract until its expected April 2027 expiration and directed staff to renegotiate terms, including data access and a cut in retention from 365 to 45 days. Arlis Reynolds voted no after her motion to cancel found no second. The vote followed the April 2026 guilty plea of a former officer to misdemeanors that included illegally accessing the department’s license plate reader system.
| Official (as recorded) | Office | Vote |
|---|---|---|
| John Stephens | Mayor | Yes |
| Loren Gameros | Council Member | Yes |
| Manuel Chavez | Council Member | Yes |
| Jeff Pettis | Council Member | Yes |
| 2 members, names not listed in the source | Council Member | Yes |
| Arlis Reynolds | Council Member | No |
Renewal date pending
The contract end date has not yet been confirmed from records.
The money
- Contract amount: $151,800
- Cameras: 46
- Contract amount per camera: $3,300
What happens next
Renewals are decided in public. Residents can attend the meeting, speak during public comment, and write to the office above through official channels. The ACLU publishes a model cancellation resolution officials can adapt.
Sources
- Voice of OC (Angelina Hicks): Costa Mesa keeps Flock cameras, looks to clean up contract next year (July 22, 2026) voiceofoc.org
Last verified: August 6, 2026. Something wrong? Request a correction.
The record
Costa Mesa City Council approved it on July 21, 2026. The tally: 6 yes, 1 no. The named yes votes: John Stephens, Loren Gameros, Manuel Chavez, Jeff Pettis. Voting no: Arlis Reynolds. The path was a council vote. Costa Mesa Police Department runs the cameras.
The stated price: $151,800. The contract covers 46 cameras. That comes to about $3,300 per camera.
The agreement remains in force.
1 source backs this record; it is listed with its date under Sources. Last verified August 6, 2026. More from the state: the California hub. Everything: the tracker.
Cite this record
Who Approved This, "Costa Mesa, CA Flock Contract," whoapprovedthis.org, accessed October 10, 2026, https://whoapprovedthis.org/city/costa-mesa-ca/.
Related
Read on
- All 98 California records
- What the California file shows
- Every named vote on the tracker
- What these terms mean
- What a camera costs, record by record
- What state law does to a contract
- Rohnert Park, CA Active
- Santa Cruz, CA Canceled
- Mountain View, CA Canceled
- Camera locations near Costa Mesa: DeFlock (external, crowdsourced)
- Agency transparency portal, if published: transparency.flocksafety.com; aggregated at Eyes on Flock