In 2023, California began implementing AI enabled early wildfire detection. The system has 1263 cameras and 21 emergency command centers. Entities with access to the detection system include state and local fire agencies, emergency management organizations, utilities and other public- and private-sector entities. In 2025, 3600 wildfire incidents were mitigated.
Privacy & civil liberties concern with Flock cameras
Add LAPD to the list of entities ending contracts with Flock cameras over privacy and civil liberties concerns. Other cities that have also ended Flock contracts over similar concerns include Mountain View, California and South Portland, Maine.
Datacenter development ban by Executive Order
We’ve all heard about New York’s 1 year moratorium on datacenter development. Let’s get into the key procedural point of this ban. The New York ban was created by the Governor’s Executive Order. No legislative votes, no public hearings…
Politico notes that experts say this is s signal of more moratoriums to come as public skepticism over datacenters grows.
On the ballot: Algorithmic rent increases
The November ballot in Bellingham, Washington will include a proposition to prohibit the use of algorithmic rent increases. “In 2023 alone, these algorithms are estimated to have cost American renters more than $3.8 billion.”
Rating Texas eminent domain laws
The Institute for Justice gave Texas eminent domain laws a B-.
R Street notes issues that Texas should fix including clearing up grey areas of public use, limiting court deference to municipalities in declaring a public use, and eminent domain use by private entities.
R Street refers readers to the State GOP Party call for eminent domain restrictions, the infighting among republicans on this issue in Texas, and point to Justice O’Conner’s opinion in Kelo.
US Supreme Court will address eminent domain
When the new U.S. Supreme Court term begins in October, the Court will hear Leonard Hoffmann v. WBI Energy Transmission Inc.. The issue in Hoffman is how gas companies under federal law compensate landowners for a taking by an interstate pipeline. The case also concerns compensation for attorneys fees when state law permits compensation for attorney fees. @Instituteforjustice
What happens if you donate land for park use?
@gizmodo tells us a family donated land in Williamson County Texas for the purpose of parkland in 1999. The land was held by various parks and recreation foundations until eventually landing with an economic development council. The economic development council until a data center developer bought the land for $10 million.
Privacy rights legislation
What’s the new privacy right? Your location. Massachusetts legislature wants to ban the sale of your location. S 2619 passed both chambers of the legislature unanimously.
The bill prevents the sale of your location data by companies that handle or process the personal data of more than 100,000 consumers.
How to pass housing reform legislation
Advocacy groups are saying that the most efficient and effective way to pass housing reforms is to pass reforms in separate pieces of legislation and not by using an omnibus housing bill.
Why? The logic is that omnibus bills failed in California, Colorado, and New York. Logic by others is that large omnibus bills where there are unforeseen consequences looming, and that legislators will vote no more often.
+1 local development ban
This week Monterey Park, CA voters approved a ban on data center development. 86% of voters approved it.
“The text of the city’s measure stated that its aim was to “protect air quality, drinking water resources and public health” and prevent increases to residents’ electricity and water rates, and it came about in response to community uproar over a now-abandoned proposal to build a data center in the city.” Politico