Council Meeting Key Item Recap - September 15, 2026
At its September 15, 2026, meeting, the City Council discussed statewide ballot measures appearing on the General Election Ballot and considered next steps for the City’s Automated License Plate Reader Policy and technology.
Council received a presentation on the Statewide Ballot Initiatives (Item 14) appearing on the November 3 General Election Ballot. California voters will consider 14 statewide measures addressing topics including affordable housing, state finances, local taxation, election administration, campaign finance, environmental review, healthcare, and constitutional governance. The presentation covered potential local impacts of the measures and provided Council an opportunity to ask questions and discuss whether the City should consider taking formal positions.
Council members discussed several measures for further consideration and directed staff to return with formal resolutions for Council consideration. A detailed November Ballot Update memorandum provides a high-level overview of the measures and additional information to support the Council’s discussion.
Council continued its discussion of Automated License Plate Reader (ALPR) (Item 15) technology from its August 25, 2026, meeting, following the termination of the Flock contract. Staff presented Verkada LPR as a potential alternative system that would be City-owned and controlled by the Santa Barbara Police Department (SBPD). The system as proposed would not have multi-agency search capabilities and would be strictly configured as license-plate-only cameras with no ability to be repurposed for facial recognition.
Council voted 5-2 to direct the City Administrator not to execute the Verkada agreement until the City Council completes a comprehensive review and any desired update of the Citywide and Police Department ALPR policies.
To review the full meeting agenda, additional documents, and recordings, visit City Council Meetings.
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