Ulises Cabrera, the sitting mayor of Moreno Valley, California, has filed a lawsuit against police surveillance giant Flock Safety, claiming he was wrongfully terminated. The legal action, initiated in November 2024, alleges that Cabrera was fired in retaliation after he refused to leverage his mayoral office to advance the company’s private business interests.
A Controversial Employment Arrangement
Flock Safety, a tech firm valued at $3.5 billion and backed by Andreessen Horowitz, hired Cabrera as a Community Engagement Manager between February and June 2024. The role, which commanded a salary between $100,000 and $140,000 plus stock options, was designed to guide law enforcement customers through public procurement processes. During his tenure, Cabrera promoted the company’s license plate recognition technology at city council meetings in jurisdictions as distant as Whitewater, Kansas, and Mammoth Lakes, California.
Allegations of Misconduct and Retaliation
The lawsuit, first reported by IPVM, details a tense work environment. According to the complaint, a Flock employee requested that Cabrera use his political influence to benefit the company only two weeks into his employment. When Cabrera forwarded the request to his legal counsel and included the employee in the correspondence, he claims he was immediately subjected to retaliatory behavior.
Beyond the conflict-of-interest allegations, the suit claims that Cabrera faced retaliation for questioning the company’s reporting practices regarding surveillance camera installations in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Additionally, the complaint includes allegations of sexual harassment against a Flock employee, which the company has categorically denied.
Legal Scrutiny and Conflict of Interest
Flock Safety maintains that its decision to hire a sitting mayor is compliant with California’s conflict-of-interest regulations. The company asserts that it provided training to Cabrera regarding these laws, which prohibit officials from making government decisions based on personal financial interests but do not strictly bar them from holding private-sector employment.
Critics, however, view the arrangement as a symptom of a systemic issue. “It is disturbing to see claims that this company would pressure staff to unethically misuse a government position,” said Albert Fox Cahn, executive director of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project. “This adds to the growing body of evidence that American surveillance is fueled by a broken revolving door between industry and government.”
Flock Safety’s Growing Legal Challenges
This lawsuit is the latest in a series of legal setbacks for the surveillance firm. Flock has previously faced a civil rights lawsuit alleging that its technology violates Fourth Amendment rights, as well as a cease and desist order from the Texas Department of Public Safety regarding its installation practices. Furthermore, a Forbes investigation previously highlighted that the company had installed cameras in multiple states without obtaining the necessary permits.
While Cabrera successfully secured re-election in November 2024, his campaign website highlighted his support for Moreno Valley’s citywide Flock system without disclosing his prior employment with the vendor. The company continues to deny all allegations brought forth in the current lawsuit.