San Mateo County Association of Grand Jurors

08/16/2026

Deep dive into the history and powers of the grand jury, with a special section on the California Civil Grand Jury system.

Uncategorized The Grand Jury: Origins, Power, and Why It Matters — A Citizen Watchdog Foundations Course Bytacticalyoda74 August 13, 2026 A Citizen Watchdog Foundations Course About This Course This course is the foundation module of the Citizen Watchdog series. It exists for one reason: you canno...

08/08/2026

SF Gate reporting on the recent ALPR investigation by the Civil Grand Jury.

https://www.sfgate.com/news/bayarea/article/san-mateo-co-civil-grand-jury-calls-for-22376538.php

08/07/2026

The Almanac story on the CGJ license plate readers report.

San Mateo County grand jury calls for stronger oversight for license plate readers
Privacy watchdogs raise concerns over federal agencies’ access to ALPR data

The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury released a report this week calling for stricter oversight for law enforcement agencies' use of automated license plate reader cameras.

08/07/2026

The Daily Post covers the latest Civil Grand Jury report.

Police departments in San Mateo County have been lacking in their audits, data retention practices and data-sharing policies for their license plate-reading cameras, the county’s Civil Grand Jury said in a new report.

Grand jury finds many police agencies aren’t following their own policies when it comes to license-plate reading cameras August 6, 2026 12:36 pm A typical automated license plate (ALPR) camera, not necessarily the brand the city will buy. BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHTDaily Post Staff Writer Police departme...

08/06/2026

KRON4 covers the Civil Grand Jury's recent Automatic License Reader report.

KRON4's Sara Stinson reports. Read more here: https://www.kron4.com

08/06/2026

Flock camera data has insufficient systemic oversight in San Mateo County, grand jury finds.

Flock camera data has insufficient systemic oversight in San Mateo County, grand jury finds
Grand jury did not find current evidence of ALPR out-of-state data-sharing

A civil grand jury report reviewing San Mateo County police agencies’ use of automated license plate readers didn’t find any illegal, out-of-state data-sharing as of December 2025, but did see

08/06/2026

It's a great program. You'll come away with a much better understanding of how our county works. Check it out!

08/05/2026

The 2025-26 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury just released a report titled "More Food for Thought
County Sustainability Department Has Not Implemented Required SB 1383 Edible Food Recovery Enforcement Procedures"

08/05/2026

The 2025-26 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury just released a report titled "Is Our Flock of ALPR Cameras Properly Tended?"

The issue it investigated was: Over the past year, Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs) have come under increasing public scrutiny. This report examines whether ALPR operators in San Mateo County (SMC) are in full compliance with applicable California law and whether their practices align with their adopted ALPR policies

08/04/2026

The San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury investigated this issue a couple of years ago. See: Balancing the Scales of Justice: Between the Prosecution and Defense in San Mateo County

https://sanmateo.courts.ca.gov/system/files/balance_scale_of_justice.pdf

https://www.facebook.com/100064846082283/posts/1501191242052398/?mibextid=CDWPTG

In 2025, a single lawyer in Kings County represented almost 600 poor people accused of crimes. That figure, which rivals some of the worst public defense caseloads in the nation, does not include the attorney’s private personal injury clients. https://cal.news/4c76rfq

📸 Larry Valenzuela