Deputy mayor

University Heights, Ohio, City Council voted 7-0 to reject a proposed amendment to its fair housing ordinance that would have let landlords refuse tenants using rent vouchers, including Section 8. The amendment, introduced in March, had cited ongoing court appeals tied to a lawsuit against Huntington Green Apartments over alleged voucher discrimination. Huntington Green's ownership separately sued the city in federal court over the ordinance's wording. After a packed, two-hour meeting featuring dozens of residents opposed to the change, council members chose to vote the measure down rather than table it, citing concerns over sending mixed signals while litigation remains pending in state and federal appeals courts.

The Tempe City Council voted 6-1 Thursday night to permanently ban the city's use of automated license plate reader (ALPR) technology, making Tempe the first city in Arizona to enact such a ban. Vice Mayor Arlene Chin cast the lone dissenting vote, calling the move "short-sighted" and arguing the city could instead create rules governing responsible use of the technology.

The new ordinance prohibits law enforcement use, funding and future contracts involving ALPR systems, and requires destruction of existing ALPR data. The decision follows Tempe's earlier move to end its contract with Flock, the company supplying its 33 license plate cameras, citing concerns about potential misuse. The cameras had been part of the police department's Real-Time Operations Center, launched in 2024, which will continue relying on hundreds of other cameras. The ban does not extend to the 20 Flock cameras operated by Arizona State University on its Tempe campus. Nearly a dozen Arizona cities, towns and counties have similarly ended, suspended or declined to renew ALPR contracts amid growing privacy concerns.

Orange County, Florida commissioners are set to vote on the Sunshine Transit Advancement Resolution, or STAR Plan, a proposal that would prioritize eight transit corridors and launch a feasibility study for a countywide rapid-transit network. The study would assess potential system designs, costs, and funding sources.

The plan initially centers on bus rapid transit, with possible future expansion to light rail and heavy rail. County leaders say the long-term goal is for one in three residents to live within a 15-minute walk of rapid transit. Vice Mayor Kelly Martinez Semrad said officials must evaluate multiple financing options, including tax-increment financing districts, alongside other feasible funding models to determine total network costs. The proposal follows years of population growth in Orange County that have worsened traffic and commute times; a recent ConsumerAffairs report ranked Orlando eighth-worst in the nation for public transportation. Commissioners were expected to vote on the plan Tuesday.

Backlash against Flock Safety license-plate cameras continues to grow nationwide. In Texas, Hood County Constable John Shirley shut down and covered the county's Flock cameras, citing "warrantless tracking" of residents; county commissioners had already let his contract with Flock lapse. Elsewhere in Ohio, Michigan and South Carolina, officials face similar pressure: Dayton schools are drafting a use policy, Kalamazoo now requires public votes on contract renewals, and Horry County, South Carolina, plans an October policy review after a Greenville County officer misused camera data to track a former partner.

In Ohio, state senator Al Cutrona is introducing a bill making personal misuse of Flock data a fourth-degree felony, requiring deletion after 10 days and barring third-party sharing — following reports that Cleveland's cameras logged nearly 2,000 immigration-related searches. The moves follow a Washington Post investigation finding dozens of officers nationally misused license-plate readers to stalk women. Flock CEO Garrett Langley has acknowledged the potential for misuse and announced new measures, including cutting default data retention from 30 to seven days and requiring a case code before each search. The ACLU called the changes "a step in the right direction" but said they fall short of legally binding protections like those Cutrona's bill would impose.