SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council voted unanimously 9-0 in favor of amending the city's surveillance ordinance during its Tuesday meeting.
The city uses about 300 pieces of surveillance technology. It was supposed to be finished reviewing them by September. Last week, Mayor Todd Gloria's office put forth a series of amendments, including one that would extend that review period deadline to September of 2026.
"We are concerned about these amendments put in last minute. We believe processes can always be improved, right? But it needs to be done with the community," said Homayra Yusufi of the Partnership for the Advancement of New Americans. She's also a member of TRUST SD.
The council also heard from members of the Privacy Advisory Board, a watchdog group of citizens appointed by the city council to review the city's use of surveillance technology.
Seth Hall said while he supports extending the review period to 2026, he said the board didn't have enough time to review the other amendments proposed by Mayor Gloria.
"The community has not had enough time to study them. They were proposed on a Thursday, the weekend before a major community celebration which took legislator's attention away, understandably," said Hall.
WATCH RELATED: San Diego Police proposes installing 500 streetlight surveillance cameras, license plate readers