Overview
Authored by Sen. Sabrina Cervantes (D), SB 274 sought to tighten state laws governing how California law enforcement agencies collect, retain, and share Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) data gathered by vendors like Flock Safety.
Key Provisions
- 60-Day Purge Rule: Required all license plate scans that do not match an authorized criminal "hot list" to be automatically purged within 60 days.
- Audit Trails: Mandated that police officers input an active case number before querying ALPR databases.
- Out-of-State Sharing Ban: Strengthened prohibitions on sharing license plate geolocation data with out-of-state or federal law enforcement for non-criminal or reproductive privacy investigations.
Legislative Outcome: Passed both the Assembly and Senate, but was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025, citing concerns over restricting cold-case criminal investigations.