Nothing To See Here

A running, sourced timeline of how license-plate readers, body cams and AI policing tools are actually going — and what the failures cost taxpayers.

Timeline / entry

· El Cajon, CA

California attorney general sues El Cajon over sharing plate data with out-of-state police

On October 3, 2025, California Attorney General Rob Bonta sued the City of El Cajon, alleging the city refused to comply with state law by sharing automated license plate reader data with more than 100 out-of-state law enforcement agencies. California law limits ALPR data sharing to “public agencies,” which the attorney general’s October 2023 bulletin says excludes federal and out-of-state agencies. Since 2024 the office has sent letters to 18 California law enforcement agencies, including sheriff’s offices in Contra Costa, Sacramento and Riverside counties, over possible violations. On January 21, 2026, the attorney general filed a further motion in California v. City of El Cajon. In October 2025 Governor Newsom vetoed a bill that would have added new regulations on license plate readers.

Sources

  1. Attorney General Bonta Sues El Cajon for Illegally Sharing License Plate Data with Out-of-State Law Enforcement — California Department of Justice, Oct 3, 2025 (oag.ca.gov)
  2. Attorney General Bonta Continues Legal Challenge to Stop El Cajon from Illegally Sharing License Plate Data — California Department of Justice, Jan 21, 2026 (oag.ca.gov)
  3. California AG sues city for allowing out-of-state searches of license plate reader database — The Record (Recorded Future News) (therecord.media)
  4. Newsom just vetoed a bill to regulate license plate readers — even as fresh evidence of misuse emerges — CalMatters (calmatters.org)

Something wrong? Send a correction — cite a source and we'll fix it and note the change.