Can Technology Better Connect Citizens to Governments in California?

Detail from the Center's interactive map of e-government initiatives in California (click to explore the map)

Throughout California, governments at all levels — from cities, to counties, and the state — are experimenting with high-tech solutions to provide public information and services and connect citizens to their government. From videoconferencing in Nevada County to San Francisco's open data portal and the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District's emergency text-messaging network, communities all over the state are testing the potential of new forms of "E-Government." 

These are just a few of the examples found in a report published today by the New America Foundation in collaboration with the Bill Lane Center for the American West at Stanford entitled, "Hear Us Now? A California Survey of Digital Technology's Role in Civic Engagement and Local Government." The report will be the subject of a lively discussion at Stanford on October 26. The innovations are also highlighted on an an interactive map produced by the Bill Lane Center for the American West, which explores 41 inspiring examples from around the state. Users of the map can also submit any innovations not found in the survey. The report says these innovations ought to be celebrated:

Hidden in all the bad news about California's troubles is this delightful paradox: Californians, while living in a state that experts say is ungovernable, have within their reach new tools that give them greater power to govern themselves than ever before.

At the same time, the report concludes that technological innovation is still in its early stages, with an uncertain road ahead. It advocates for addressing several crucial questions now, including: How do governments and citizens measure the success of these innovations? And how can best practices be shared among the 4,500-plus local governments in the state?

The report and map are available on the New America Foundation's website. Readers are also invited to come and discuss the report and its findings at a public event at Stanford on the evening of Wednesday, October 26, co-sponsored by the Center, the New America Foundation and Zócalo Public Square, entitled "Can Technology Save California's Governments?" For more details, and to RSVP, please see the event page on our site.

Read more at the New America Foundation »