www.montereycountynow.com OCTOBER 15-21, 20260 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY 13 Governments buy a lot of things, and the contracts are often boilerplate language that generates little public discussion. Sometimes contracts reflect a much bigger story. When police and fire officials presented on Monday, Oct. 5 to ask Carmel City Council to give the nod to acquire a single drone, it might have been a question of which contract to pursue (a one-time acquisition versus a multi-year subscription), but the discussion was about something else—surveillance, technology and trust. The pitch was for a single piece of equipment that could cost as little as $10,685.99. But instead of dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s, members of the public spoke up to ask questions and oppose the technology. Many urged council to use the money to instead hire more police, focusing on humans instead of tech tools for policing. “This isn’t about whether we trust our current police chief. We do,” said Christine Hollenbeck. “It is about creating a surveillance capability that can remain long after our chief and council are gone and could be expanded in ways beyond what any of us can imagine today.” The public spoke, and the council listened, directing the Police Department to scrap the potential drone acquisition and policy for now. “This is what government is supposed to look like,” Mayor Dale Byrne said. “We listened to everyone in the room…For now, drones are off the table.” This kind of public organization and participation is emerging largely in response to the widespread use (and misuse) of automated license plate readers, or ALPRs, from the company Flock Safety. As Carmel resident Ian Martin observed, “This is an unfortunate time to even be having this conversation because Flock really has poisoned this discussion.” A newly formed local chapter of Get The Flock Out and the Monterey County Coalition Against Mass Surveillance successfully pressed the Monterey County Board of Supervisors to eliminate its relationship with Flock, despite a request from Sheriff Tina Nieto to continue using the tool—the supervisors voted 3-2 in September to cancel the sheriff’s Flock contract. Chapter leader Colleen Ingram spoke up to the Carmel City Council, and again on Tuesday, Oct. 13 to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors about drones. The supervisors were discussing a request from the sheriff to authorize a $3 million acquisition to expand from three drones up to 18 in 2031. Much of the discussion focused on budget. “I am more comfortable with a shorter-term contract so it doesn’t lock in the county’s obligation,” Supervisor Luis Alejo said, pushing for no more than eight drones over five years. “There might be better providers down the road that might give us a better price. This doesn’t help address keeping costs down.” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew calculated that the amount requested would be enough to insure 5,000 patients on the county’s Esperanza Care health plan. The County Sheriff’s jurisdiction is wholly different than the 1-square-mile city of Carmel. The agency serves a vast region, and includes the search and rescue team. There’s a much more compelling argument logistically for the need, and the agency also was not starting from scratch—they have used drones for a decade and already have an adopted policy, which includes a prohibition on “random surveillance activities.” Supervisors’ privacy concerns were assuaged because the County holds the data—not a third-party company—and it is only shared with the District Attorney as evidence. (See story, p. 8.) Not all technology is the same, and all technology is potentially subject to abuse. Carmel City Councilmember Alissandra Dramov read aloud from an April article in Police Chief Magazine. “Technology procurement should be treated as problem-solving, not shopping. The unit of analysis is the problem the agency is trying to solve, not the attractiveness of a vendor’s tool,” it states. Shiny objects promising technological solutions are everywhere. Law enforcement agencies have a responsibility to not just pursue shiny new objects, and not just to control costs—but to make our communities safer. As Root Askew said, “If we don’t have trust in law enforcement we don’t have public safety.” That’s true no matter what tools they have. Sara Rubin is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com. Drone On Public outcry over surveillance leads to a no on drones in Carmel. By Sara Rubin POTATO, POTATOE…Squid has a long memory, so when the Panetta Institute for Public Policy announced its 2026 Jefferson-Lincoln Awards, taking place on Nov. 14, Squid found Squidself jettisoned back to 1992 when Squid sported a fly neon windbreaker and a set of light-up L.A. Gear athletic shoes that were da bomb. This year the institute is honoring U.S. Senator Chris Coons, D-Delaware; U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Nebraska; Tani Cantil-Sakauye, a former chief justice of California; and at the head of the list, Dan Quayle, the 44th vice president of the United States, under George H.W. Bush. In the institute’s press release, Quayle is remembered as a former congressional representative and senator, who became vice president at age 41, and is “widely considered to have been one of the most active vice presidents in history.” Squid’s memory isn’t as sharp on Quayle’s activity level, more so on his spelling prowess, or lack thereof. In June 1992 he dropped into a New Jersey elementary school spelling bee and in front of cameras, flubbed big time by incorrectly correcting a student who spelled out “P-O-T-A-T-O,” suggesting he add an “e.” Squid wants to buy a ticket just to see what’s on the gala’s menu (baked potatoe?), but at $750 a pop, that’s too rich for Squid’s blood. Cha-ching! GHOST SIGHTING…Squid was disappointed when it was announced that leaders of Middlebury College in Vermont were set to close the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey by spring 2027, but heartened that most of the school will continue under a new owner. The deal closed at the end of September and the downtown Monterey graduate school is now called Monterey Institute of International Studies at Soka University. Squid was perplexed when on Oct. 8, about two weeks after the closing, an email arrived from miis@ middlebury.edu, announcing two videos featuring MIIS faculty, staff and alumni, sharing what the school means to them, as if the old MIIS still exists. “As we navigate multiple changes, it is important to recognize and celebrate the remarkable impact of our students, faculty, staff and alumni continue to make around the world,” the email states. “The work we do, the empathy we share, and the global impact we drive will continue!” While Middlebury was still in charge, the Vermontbased leadership was, at best, chilly toward MIIS. Now that they are on their way out, Middlebury is finally using its Vimeo channel to promote the school. It’s like Uri the Urchin telling everyone the best spine was that one that’s long gone, even though Uri complained about it bitterly for years before it landed in a human heel. THE LOCAL SPIN SQUID FRY THE MISSION OF MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY IS TO INSPIRE INDEPENDENT THINKING AND CONSCIOUS ACTION, ETC. “For now, drones are off the table.” SEND SQUID A TIP: squid@montereycountynow.com
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