EL CAJON — A lawsuit filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta against the City of El Cajon over its automated license plate reader data-sharing practices is moving toward a July court date, following a hearing Thursday at the Hall of Justice in downtown San Diego.The case centers on El Cajon's 100-plus Flock Safety ALPR cameras installed throughout the city. According to records from the Flock Safety transparency portal, more than 600 agencies across more than 20 states have access to El Cajon's license plate data — a practice that Bonta argues violates California's Senate Bill 34, which limits ALPR data sharing to public agencies within the state.At Thursday's hearing, attorneys representing the El Cajon Police Department asked a judge for additional time to review evidence and prepare arguments. The judge granted the request, pushing the next hearing to July 2, with a case management conference scheduled for June 5. The city's ALPR cameras will remain operational in the meantime.El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells has maintained that the city's use of the technology is lawful and aimed solely at combating crime — from carjackings to homicides. City officials argue that the state law's definition of "public agency" is unclear on whether data sharing with out-of-state agencies is truly prohibited, and that they do not share data directly with federal immigration authorities.Bonta's office has countered that once the sensitive location data leaves California, it can reach federal authorities and potentially be used for immigration enforcement or profiling. The attorney general is asking the court to declare El Cajon's data-sharing unlawful and order the city to stop. For East County residents who drive past these cameras daily, the outcome of this case could have significant implications for privacy rights across the region.Source: California Attorney General's Office; CBS 8 San Diego