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October 20, 2026 · Los Angeles, CA · Review

Los Angeles council committee votes 3-2 to recommend vetoing LAPD's Axon streetlight plate-reader pilot

The Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee voted 3-2 at a special meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, to recommend that the full council veto the Board of Police Commissioners' Sept. 22 approval of a memorandum of understanding with Axon for a three-month "Lightpost" pilot of license plate reader cameras mounted on city streetlights (committee report, Council File 26-1394). Council members Curren Price, Nithya Raman and Hugo Soto-Martinez voted yes; John Lee and Traci Park voted no (committee report). The council asserted jurisdiction over the approval 10-4 on Oct. 6, and the last day for council action is Oct. 27 (city clerk). The report notes the recommendation is not official until the council acts. At the meeting, LAPD's chief information officer said the cameras would collect vehicle and plate information, not faces, biometrics or audio, and that the Axon agreement would serve as a template for future plate-reader vendors; Soto-Martinez and Council member Eunisses Hernandez said rules should come before a pilot (MyNewsLA, Westside Current). This is an Axon pilot at no cost to the city, not a Flock contract; LAPD let its Flock agreement lapse in July after the Police Commission suspended its use (MyNewsLA).

Local file: los angeles, CA

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