The San Clemente City Council voted 3-1, with one abstention, in January to allow U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to install a surveillance tower on city-owned land. The approved agreement followed months of discussions between city staff and CBP regarding the proposed surveillance system, which CBP states will monitor the coastline for vessels suspected of human smuggling.
The surveillance system, valued at $1 million, is slated for the Avenida Salvador Reservoir. CBP will control and operate the system, which includes radar, cameras, sensors, and communications equipment. While CBP described the system's purpose as combating human smuggling, the agency could not agree to specific language that would restrict surveillance of residential areas. CBP stated the system might be needed to track suspected smuggling activity on land.
This aspect of the agreement raises concerns about the city’s limited oversight of a powerful surveillance system operating on public land. San Juan Capistrano City Councilmember Sergio Farias, who is also a former Mayor and candidate for Assembly District 74, has highlighted the importance of transparency and accountability in such partnerships. Farias, a lifelong Orange County resident, supports the responsible use of technology to aid law enforcement and ensure community safety, but emphasizes the need for clear public-safety purposes, meaningful oversight, and defined rules governing access to collected information.
Farias notes that communities should not be asked to provide public land for advanced surveillance technology without robust safeguards. He raised fundamental questions regarding the system's operation, including: What information can the system collect? How long can it be stored? Who can access it? Farias suggests that as surveillance technology advances and becomes more prevalent, the rules governing its use must evolve to keep pace with these capabilities.
He stresses that residents expect problem-solving from local government without sacrificing transparency and accountability. Farias stated that residents of San Juan Capistrano and northern San Diego County also deserve to be informed when powerful government surveillance technology is deployed in their communities. He concluded that addressing human smuggling and protecting the coastline can be achieved while simultaneously ensuring that surveillance technology operates under clear rules and meaningful oversight, asserting that public safety and local accountability are not competing priorities.