Tougher fines await people in Oakland who are caught illegally dumping trash, which could become easier for city officials to enforce. The city of Oakland is considering deploying drones to detect illegal dumping, raising some privacy concerns. But in Oakland, mounds of old furniture, debris a nd trash piled up along roads and sidewalks in many parts of the city are a familiar scene, generating thousands of complaints each year. Tuesday night, the Oakland City Council voted unanimously to double fines for illegal dumping to $5,000. “Not only did we double fines for illegal dumping in Oakland, but we attached those fines to the license plate. So no longer do we have to identify that driver and refer them to the DA. We can just identify the license plate,” Councilmember Zac Unger said. “I think you got the warning from your grandma not to throw garbage in the street. We don’t need any more warnings. We are fining people who illegally dump in Oakland.” Oakland 19 hours ago Oakland could turn to drones in fight against illegal dumping Oakland Apr 14 Family of missing Oakland woman offers $10K reward Steph Curry Apr 13 Steph Curry shoe auction at Sotheby's to benefit Oakland youth The City Council also took the first step in approving a six-month pilot program to use AI drone technology to track where illegal dumping is taking place so workers can rapidly clean it up. But a local community group called Oakland Privacy has its reservations. “It’s a pilot program, so time will tell if it works or if it turns out to be an intrusive annoyance that results in a lot of false alarms,” the group said. The city said the technology would have strong privacy protections and would be used to identify trash, not people. The proposed pilot program goes to a second reading before the City Council next month before it becomes final. ...read more read less