But critics have raised privacy concerns about Flock cameras, saying that the dense camera network \u2014 there are over 400 in San Francisco \u2014 can be used to track people. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has used Flock\u2019s database elsewhere in the country to track down immigrants<\/a> they want to deport, officers have searched<\/a> for their exes and romantic partners<\/a>, and an officer has used the cameras to track<\/a> women traveling out of state for abortions\u00a0<\/p>\n Though California law prohibits San Francisco from sharing its data with out-of-state law enforcement agencies, San Francisco has allowed improper searches of its data 1.6 million times, according to the San Francisco Standard<\/a>, including at least 19 that were on behalf of ICE. The data breaches continue: In June, SFPD revealed another 299 improper searches<\/a> of Flock data by federal agencies.<\/p>\n A working paper released this week<\/a> found that motor vehicle theft decreased in jurisdictions that put in the cameras. In two other studies, where license plate readers mounted to patrol cars were placed near theft hotspots, crime did not decrease. One of those studies, though, showed that the cameras helped officers recover stolen cars.<\/p>\n This week\u2019s question: Do you support San Francisco\u2019s use of Flock cameras?<\/p>\n Mission Local color codes the answers to yes\/no questions. A green background means the candidate answered yes, a red background means no, and a yellow background means that the candidate dodged the question.<\/p>\n Darshini Patel<\/p>\n Job: Former DoorDash employee, worked on the 2012 Obama campaign and the 2024 Harris campaign, former Obama staffer<\/p>\n Age: 38<\/p>\n Residency: Homeowner, has lived in District 8 for 10 cumulative years since 2010<\/p>\n Transportation: Public transit, walking and biking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Wellesley College<\/p>\n Languages: Gujarati, English<\/p>\n No. A searchable record of where people travel can reveal visits to LGBTQ+ spaces, healthcare providers, religious institutions, or immigrant-serving organizations. In just six months, outside agencies ran over 1.6 million searches of San Francisco\u2019s plate data, including 19 for ICE. Even after shutting down that access, improper outside searches continued.\u00a0<\/p>\n Evidence also hasn\u2019t shown that Flock reduces crime. A system that doesn\u2019t offer security or results isn\u2019t working for us.<\/p>\n SFPD\u2019s $3.9 million contract expires in February 2027; I\u2019d vote against renewal.<\/p>\n I\u2019d invest instead in well-lit streets, vibrant storefronts, after-dark programming, and street crisis response teams.<\/p>\n See Patel\u2019s full response here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Endorsed by: N\/A<\/p>\n Manny Yekutiel<\/p>\n Job: Founder and owner of Manny\u2019s, co-founder and former executive director of Civic Joy Fund<\/p>\n Age: 36<\/p>\n Residency: Renter, has lived in San Francisco since 2012 and District 8 since 2013<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Williams College<\/p>\n Languages: English, Hebrew<\/p>\n Yes, I support it, with real guardrails. Technology like cameras are proven to help solve crimes and slow down reckless drivers on our streets but I won\u2019t support any of it if that data ends up with ICE or the federal government, full stop. I want clear limits on how long footage is kept, who can access it, what it gets used for, and no recording of people\u2019s private conversations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Public safety and privacy don\u2019t have to be in competition. We can give our police, sheriff, and fire departments real tools and still protect people\u2019s rights.<\/p>\n Endorsed by: District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Assemblymember Catherine Stefani, former Mayor Willie L. Brown Jr, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood, Jane Fonda, Senator Cory Booker, Grow SF, Abundant SF, San Francisco Apartment Association \u2026 see more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gary McCoy<\/p>\n Job: Former staffer to Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi and former vice president of policy and public affairs at HealthRIGHT 360<\/p>\n Age: 48<\/p>\n Residency: Renter, has lived in San Francisco for 24 years and District 8 for 15 years<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, biking, public transit and walking<\/p>\n Education: Former City College of San Francisco student, certified phlebotomy technician from Bay Area Medical Academy<\/p>\n Languages: English<\/p>\n No, I don\u2019t support the city\u2019s use of Flock cameras. I\u2019ve refused donations and support from Flock, its lobbyists and employees.<\/p>\n Our first responders should have the resources they need to keep people safe, but privacy is an important part of safety when undocumented immigrants are being kidnapped on and off our streets. These cameras collect data that can be used against vulnerable members of our community. There aren\u2019t enough safeguards around who can access this data, especially at a time when the federal government is criminalizing LGTBQ+ people, abortion and reproductive rights, and immigrants.<\/p>\n Endorsed by: Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, San Francisco Labor Council, Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, San Francisco Tenants Union \u2026 see more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Michael Nguyen<\/p>\n Job: Patent attorney<\/p>\n Age: 44<\/p>\n Residency: Renter, has lived in District 8 since 2006<\/p>\n Transportation: Driving, public transit and walking<\/p>\n Education: Bachelor\u2019s degree from Southwestern University, law degree from University of California Law, San Francisco<\/p>\n Languages: English, some Spanish, some Vietnamese<\/p>\n No. I oppose expanding Flock Safety cameras in San Francisco. They create a mass-surveillance system that tracks where people travel and can be shared with entities that are beyond local control. The public-safety tradeoff is not worth the threat to privacy, civil liberties, immigrants, communities of color, and political protesters \u2014 especially as authoritarian governments increasingly try to criminalize and target vulnerable people. District 8 deserves safety without a surveillance state.\u00a0<\/p>\n I support (and we deserve) accountable community policing, well-lit streets and transit stops, violence-prevention outreach, and real investment in the Street Crisis Response Team \u2014 not establishing a mass surveillance state.\u00a0<\/p>\n Endorsed by: GLBTQ+ Asian Pacific Alliance, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club (#2), San Francisco Green Party, former supervisor Dean Preston \u2026 see more here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at io@missionlocal.com<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Darshini-No.png\")
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