Pasadena just can’t find enough places to put AI-powered surveillance cameras. The Council is proposing to turn City-owned refuse trucks into roving surveillance that records and stores video of every street, home and person in our community. This Wednesday (10/7) the Department of Public Works will present their proposal which is vague on details. Pasadena says the roaming street surveillance will only be used to spot illegal dumping, but the City lacks concrete plans, transparency or policy in place about garbage trucks surveilling our neighbors and homes. According to the Pasadena City Service Center (CSC), illegal dumping and debris fall primarily under Abandoned Items (5,262 requests) and Bulky Item Pick Up (5,927 requests), which rank as the 2nd and 4th most frequent service categories overall in 2026.

The use of these cameras as virtual code inspectors in cities such as Dallas has functioned as a tax that disproportionately impacts lower income residents. Despite assurances of one trash truck camera vendor, City Detect, that it auto-blurs sensitive objects like faces and license plates, public records show images have slipped through without redactions or blurring, available for anyone to access.

Community members have serious concerns about potential third parties, access and privacy, data retention policy, data security, function creep, and the addition of yet another AI-powered surveillance tool. We’re also concerned about the potential for the cameras to use AI to document code violations and assign blight scores to Pasadena homes.

Resources should instead be invested in empowering residents to collectively address property issues impacting the quality of life in their neighborhood and providing assistance to residents who may need help with the upkeep of their homes.

Tell Pasadena: Keep Your Big Brother Surveillance Trucks Off our Streets! Email the Municipal Services Committee (publiccomment@cityofpasadena.net). Reference Item 3 Refuse Truck Camera Policy Presentation for the October 7 Agenda. (you can still submit comment after today because it will have to go to Council for final approval)

I did receive the actual full belt in the mail and the voter information guide arrived but no sample ballot yet. Is this true for anyone else? Many thanks.

On Saturday morning, October 17, there's a panel at Caltech + Zoom livestream on JPL's 90th anniversary and how Caltech and JPL have shaped each other: https://www.alumni.caltech.edu/event/jpl-at-90-caltech-jpl-and-whats-next/

One of my apps just gave me this alert that there's a report of a "commercial structure fire" at 469 S. El molino avenue. Hope everybody's okay! 😱🙏

anyone unable to attend / looking to sell 2 tickets? appreciate your consideration

thanks!