Reporting from inside the systems that track, rank, and police Californians—following digital trails from city hall servers to algorithms deciding who gets housing, work, and care.
Category One
We track how state and local agencies deploy surveillance—from freeway cameras to school monitoring—and how Californians can use public records laws to see themselves in the data.
Using California Public Records Act requests, we obtained tens of millions of license plate scans and uncovered how agencies share detailed movement histories with law enforcement far beyond state lines.
Parents discovered cameras flagged students as “unknown persons” before any public debate. We obtained vendor agreements, data retention rules, and disciplinary memos to map what happens next in the data trail.
Under California law, certain videos must be released. This step‑by‑step explainer includes request language, deadlines, and appeals strategies for families, reporters, and advocates.
From traffic cameras to gunshot detectors, retention policies vary widely. We compiled a city‑by‑city table and model policy language community groups can bring to public hearings.
Category Two
We reverse‑engineer scoring systems used in housing, employment, benefits, and criminal justice—translating opaque risk scores into plain language and practical leverage for affected communities.
We recreated the scoring logic used by a major screening company, showing how past evictions, ZIP codes, and even typo‑ridden records can sink an application—often without any notice to the tenant.
From video interviews graded by facial analysis to résumé filters tied to college lists, we document how automated hiring tools screen out applicants—and what legal tools Californians have to demand explanations.
Case files and emails show how a benefits algorithm wrongly labeled families as “ineligible”—and how advocates used logs, dashboards, and contract clauses to get the system paused.
Cities from Oakland to Pasadena are piloting process rules for automated systems. We created sample ordinance language, public comment prompts, and checklists communities can adapt.
Category Three
Practical resources built with organizers, legal clinics, and technologists—so residents can read, question, and reshape the data systems around them.
A facilitation plan, sign‑in sheets, and sample requests designed for libraries, tenant unions, student groups, and mutual aid collectives across California.
What you can ask credit bureaus, landlords, employers, and government agencies to share or delete—and the deadlines they must follow, in plain language.
Search by city or county to see camera networks, software subscriptions, and which vendor contracts are up for renewal this year.
Modular lessons for high schools, community colleges, and grassroots groups, co‑designed with California educators and youth organizers.
From the newsroom
We treat datasets, contracts, and source code as public records—and center the Californians most impacted by these systems in how we report, verify, and share.
From confirming file provenance to protecting people whose information appears inside, this is the process our reporters use to decide when and how to publish data‑driven stories.