UC San Diego’s student government has joined other community voices pushing back against the city’s use of camera-equipped street lights, and has submitted a list of demands its members hope will increase transparency about the technology’s impact on privacy and public safety.

The demands, which include forming a commission to assess the so-called Smart Street Lights Program, were presented to a City Council committee last week by Alisha Saxena, chief of staff of local affairs for Associated Students, the university’s student government body.

The student group is latest among many community advocates who want a say in how the program is run.

“We have been following the issue of smart street lights, and we are baffled,” Saxena told the City Council Public Safety and Livable Neighborhoods Committee. “We are baffled by the lack of information which the public has received on this potentially far-reaching program.”


The San Diego City Council approved the smart street lights three years ago after the project was initially presented as a way to save energy and cut costs. It was later revealed that the thousands of lights perched on poles throughout the city include sensors and cameras that collect data.

The sensors can gather a range of information, such as vehicle and pedestrian movements, parking availability and environmental conditions.

In August 2018, police started accessing camera footage as a tool to solve certain types of crime, such as homicide. San Diego Police Chief David Nisleit has called the technology, which has been used more than 250 times, “a game-changer.”

Nisleit has said images from the smart street lights have helped investigators identify suspects in many recent cases, including the Nov. 6 shootings at a Church’s Chicken restaurant in San Ysidro that left one employee dead and two others wounded. He has insisted that the cameras are used only as a “reactive tool” and that police do not monitor them in real time.


Still, many members of the public want more information about the program — and more oversight.

“The community was robbed of having a discussion with law enforcement about privacy concerns, discriminatory concerns, and more,” Saxena said, “and we as Associated Students recognize the potential harmful consequences that this could have for our student community, particularly our valued undocumented community.”

The four demands Saxena laid out are:

Creating an independent commission of diverse residents who would review parts of the program;

Hosting a town hall meeting that would include the City Council, law enforcement and “leaders” of the program “to ensure transparency;”

Stopping further rollout of the program temporarily, and notifying the public each time law enforcement uses the data collected by the street light sensors; and

Releasing more information about why law enforcement was granted access to the data “in a hushed manner.”

“We will not stand to be baffled any longer,” Saxena said.


Last month, the public safety committee rejected a policy laying out rules about who can access the smart street light data and how it can be used. Instead, the committee asked for an ordinance they hope would go further to address concerns about surveillance technology.

Councilwoman Monica Montgomery, chair of the public safety committee, said she would form a “community working group” to add input on surveillance concerns, while Councilwoman Vivian Moreno suggested bringing in an outside agency to review the smart street lights’ capabilities.

In response to the student group’s demands, Montgomery issued a statement that pointed to the committee’s calls for transparency, accountability, public input and privacy safeguards.

“I continue to stand with privacy advocates who have voiced valid concerns on how the smart streetlights program and other surveillance technologies have shown up in our communities,” she said.


“Too many of these programs have moved forward without public conversation, careful consideration of the costs and benefits, or adequate policies in place to prevent misuse and protect rights. As policymakers, we are obligated to ensure that the decision-making process, around the use of this technology, is open, transparent and includes the public.”

There are 3,200 “smart” street lights installed around the city. Another 1,000 were set to be put up this year, but that plan has been put on hold.