SR-01-14-2014-8DCity Council Meeting: January 14, 2014
Agenda Item: 6°-D
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Rod Gould, City Manager
Subject: Community Civic Engagement Strategy
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the City Council approve the Community Civic Engagement
Strategy and direct staff to implement the initiative.
Executive Summary
In today's fast -paced world, attention spans have shortened and people's free time is
limited. Information, both accurate and inaccurate, proliferates quickly. There is a
generational gap of people who participate in local government. In order to maintain
transparency and ensure that all voices have an opportunity to be heard, it is incumbent
upon government to go to people.
Civic engagement is an integral component of community life. Yet, local government
has been slow to make use of emerging methods of connecting with citizens and
promoting participation. Reliance on old models of engagement may mean that some
segments of the population are left out of the process.
The Community Civic Engagement Strategy (CCES) is a new and comprehensive
initiative to experiment with ways to connect with and solicit input from a broad
spectrum of the community. The CCES involves assessing the City's current efforts to
engage community members; developing a two -year calendar of community activities
that complement each other and inform the two -year budget process; providing different
opportunities for community members to express their ideas and follow community
issues; and designing tools and programs that maximize available resources and are
replicable in other cities.
The CCES would yield a platform that includes in- person, web - based, social and
information media that sustains broad and diverse community involvement in civic
affairs. When appropriate, staff would partner with local organizations. With more
people informed about city and community issues, greater trust and confidence
develops in local decision - making. The work of local governance is then more likely to
be successfully completed. Staff would report back to Council with an evaluation of
activities and outcomes.
1
Background
Over the past four months, staff evaluated interactions between citizens and local
government in Santa Monica, researched emerging developments in civic engagement,
and best practices for educating, involving, and providing ways for community members
to express themselves.
Municipalities around the country are experimenting with ways to engage new people in
local government. The Institute for Local Government devotes significant resources to
collaborative civic engagement research and initiatives as part of their ongoing efforts to
promote public confidence in local government. The International City/ County
Management Association provides resources and a forum to develop, share and
improve civic engagement information and practices. Research indicates civic
collaboration not only helps build community, it brings new and more people into civic
affairs. With more people informed about city and community issues, greater trust and
confidence develops in local decision- making. The work of local governance is then
more likely to be successfully completed.
A civic engagement strategy should include a range of approaches with different
opportunities to connect with as many community partners as possible. It is best
practice to develop an integrated platform of in- person, web - based, social and
information media that uses the public's ideas and knowledge in appropriate ways given
the issues at hand. For example, a civic campaign that involved community
partnerships, online resources, workshops and new technology coalesced to reimagine
Philadelphia's primary waterfront on the Delaware River. The Citizens League, an
independent non - partisan organization that works to effect change in Minnesota public
policy, partners with local organizations to host Policy and a Pint — monthly
conversations about policy in Minnesota over food and beer. Boston residents volunteer
time and energy by shoveling out fire hydrants after major snow storms with the adopt a
hydrant app. Candy Chang, a popular Taiwanese - American artist, placed fill- in -the-
blank stickers that said '7 wish this was " on vacant store fronts as part of a
temporary interactive art installation for residents to reimagine their community.
2
Depending on the community need and the desired outcome, a plan that includes varied
opportunities to share knowledge and ideas helps to identify the most acceptable
solution to the issue at hand.
Santa Monica is well positioned for greater civic engagement. There is high voter
turnout. Of the 60,909 registered voters in Santa Monica, 78 percent voted in the
November 2012 elections — clear evidence that an interest in civic affairs exists among
community members. Attendance at community meetings is generally good and new
community groups are able to enter into the public discourse. The City provides people
with information about proposed programs and plans, and regularly seeks their input.
Staff has begun experimenting with new types of civic engagement. One recent
example is MANGo, an interactive community workshop featuring temporary
installations of potential Michigan Avenue Greenway improvements. The workshop
included help from partnering organizations, complementary lunch, live music, bilingual
services and activities for kids. Over 400 people attended the event, learned about the
greenway, provided input, and weighed trade -offs.
Pop -Up MANGo incorporated new elements to community workshops that successfully
encouraged a broad spectrum of participation. However, the majority of the City's civic
engagement relies heavily on one -way communication through well -worn channels. This
typically requires citizens to seek out information from disparate City - related sources.
During a "listening tour" staff met with residents and business owners in fall 2013,
people expressed concern that public information is difficult to follow or too
cumbersome to read. Some community members noted that they do not become more
involved because they do not see a correlation between their participation and
outcomes. For example, City Council meetings are a main component of Santa
Monica's current civic engagement strategy. In order to provide input on key decisions,
individuals wait sometimes two to four hours to address the Council for two minutes.
3
Many people do not regularly have that amount of time available. Voices not physically
present at meetings may not have the same impact as those in attendance, which
makes overall community sentiment difficult to gauge.
Discussion
In today's fast -paced world, attention spans have shortened and people's free time is
limited. Information, both accurate and inaccurate, proliferates quickly. In order to
maintain transparency and ensure that all voices have an opportunity to be heard, it is
incumbent upon government to go to people. The old model of civic engagement where
people bring their issues, questions and concerns to government does not make it easy
for people to become aware of larger community issues or encourage a culture of being
civically involved. It creates an unnecessary barrier between citizens and local
government, which may result in misunderstanding and negativity.
Recognizing the availability of new tools for connecting and communicating with the
public, staff is proposing to explore new ways to improve access between community
members and their local government. The CCES aims to increase current levels of civic
participation to include a broad spectrum of community members, and better inform staff
and Council of community sentiment, questions and trends. Staff would work with local
organizations like the Jaycees, Santa Monica Spoke, the Santa Monica - Malibu Unified
School District, Young Santa Monica, Santa Monica Next, the Chamber of Commerce,
Zocalo and other community partners. Monthly meetings with the Neighborhood Council
and the Planning and Community Development Department leadership would continue.
Over the next two years the CCES would involve developing and evaluating new tools
and programs that create access to learn about what is going on via casual, meaningful
ways to be civically engaged, including:
0
A Civic Engagement Team
Under the leadership of the City Manager's Office, a team of city employees would work
together to shape, prioritize, and direct the development of CCES projects. This
interdepartmental team would obtain public feedback to ensure that tools and programs
are useful and accomplishing CCES goals. Specifically, the team would:
® Evaluate the City's current efforts to engage community members
® Develop a two -year calendar of community activities that complement each other
and align with the organization's two -year budget cycle
® Assess ways to improve current City communication and social media strategies
® Provide community members different opportunities to express their ideas and
follow community issues
® Design tools and programs that maximize available resources and are replicable
in other cities
Report to City Council and City leadership on progress
Pilot projects would be evaluated based on effectiveness and the ability to be sustained
by staff. Once projects launch, the group would transition to training staff, managing,
measuring and improving the ongoing programs.
While civic engagement is rich with information and resources and is a growing area of
research, it is not always clear what government can and should do in this regard and
what will resonate in Santa Monica. Some projects will be successful. Other projects
may not. Staff would work in partnership with residents and community organizations to
ensure appropriate and effective civic engagement initiatives.
Ways to Bridge the Gap
According to 2010 census data, 49 percent of Santa Monica residents are 20 — 50 years
old (25 percent 20 -35 years old, 24 percent 35 -50 years old). Millennials and
Generation X are an active part of Santa Monica. They bring entrepreneurial spirit and
are a major force in the local economy. Generation Xers have families with children in
5
the school system. However people in these age ranges generally do not visibly
participate in civic affairs.
Similar to the Citizens League's Policy and a Pint program, the CCES would look to
create similar programs that would bring civic affairs to places where people gather.
Once a month, at various locations, community members would be encouraged to
participate in an informal discussion about what is happening in the city. Topics would
vary based on current events. Through casual conversation new people would connect,
learn about what is going on and discuss decisions facing the community in an informal
setting. Civic leaders would be encouraged to attend.
Inter - generational events and programs for residents who speak English as a second
language would also be explored to bridge the gap between people and local
government. These could include roundtable series, policy tours, and happy hours. In
turn, people all ages would become part of a culture of being aware and potentially
involved in what is happening in their city.
A Biennial Santa Monica Talks
Formerly called "Can We Talk ? ", the original community meeting series kicked off public
outreach to determine community needs and priorities for the annual City budget. Later
called Santa Monica Talks, the community meeting series was revamped and offered
residents the opportunity to meet face -to -face with City staff from all City departments.
Because the City transitioned to a biennial budget process, Santa Monica Talks would
be held in the second year of the City's two year budget and continue to serve as initial
public outreach. At the meetings, staff would discuss what is happening in the city and
take questions from the audience. Community members would learn about city services,
quality -of -life issues, and provide first -hand information about their concerns and ideas
to inform the biennial budget.
Staff would improve the community meeting series and build upon lessons learned from
previous years. Time and resources to conduct the community meeting series in the first
year of the biennial budget would be used on other CCES projects and programs, such
as the Citizen Academy.
A Citizen Academy
On May 7, 2013 staff outlined plans for a Citizens Academy to educate residents about
their local government and encourage participation in local public policy making. The
Academy would provide participants with an in -depth understanding of how local
government operates and ways local government collaborates with community, civic
and non - profit institutions. Coordinated by the City Manager's Office, the Academy
would entail a series of six classes held on weekday evenings. Department Heads
would be tasked with teaching the classes. For example, Big Blue Bus, Planning and
Community Development and Finance would collaborate on a class covering mobility
and land use.
The Academy would be open to community members of all ages and backgrounds, with
priority for Santa Monica residents. Individuals considering serving in leadership roles in
the community, or who are curious as to how the City and its partners make decisions,
allocate resources, and get things done would be encouraged to complete an online
application available in February 2014. Staff would select the students. Those who
participate in the Academy would gain a fuller understanding of City departments,
current projects, and the public decision making process.
A Technology Platform
Emerging technology has the potential to broaden civic access and opportunity. New
technology to amplify collaboration, create new avenues for participation, inform and
promote participation in community discussions would be explored as part of the CCES.
INA
The interdepartmental team would work with other City staff, community partners, and
experts in the field to research best practices and evaluate tools and strategies to:
® Develop the City's use of social media
® Make policy and financial information easier to find and understand
® Improve access to local government by providing push notifications in real time
when topics of interest are heard during Council meetings
® Create two -way communication approach with constituents where appropriate
Social media is a communication tool the City uses to provide information for the public.
The CCES would look to incorporate best practices into current efforts to ensure social
media is used efficiently and effectively.
City Council meetings are a main component of Santa Monica's current civic
engagement strategy. Staff reports are full of information on complex issues facing the
community. A majority of community members do not regularly participate in the
meetings, even when issues facing Council are of great interest. Staff would investigate
ways for people to track specific issues on a Council agenda. A simplified Council
meeting agenda where issues were briefly summarized could encourage more people
to participate in meetings. Also, when Council is about to discuss an agenda item in real
time, people could self- register to receive a push notification or email with a link to
follow and stream live video or audio of Council's discussion of the topic at hand.
Staff would also explore new ways for people to participate in the public decision -
making process. For example, once Council agendas are publicly available, a likert
scale would accompany each agenda item for people to rank the recommended actions
of the staff report. A text box could also be available for people to comment on the
report. Council would be provided with a summary of the rankings and comments prior
to the Council meeting to inform their deliberation on the respective topic.
t:3
At present these are only ideas and require vetting and further development. However a
simplified Council agenda, push notifications, and ways for people to rate and comment
on staff reports create access to Council and the public decision - making process. This
access would be significant for a resident unable to attend a Council meeting or wait to
speak on an item discussed late in the evening.
A technological platform would complement, not supplant, other non - technology -based
ways to connect community members with staff and Elected Officials. Focus would be
to provide a well- rounded set of civic engagement strategies so local government
remains accessible to a broad range of community members.
Foster Civic Pride
To cultivate and sustain new civic participation, a component of the CCES would focus
on providing creative opportunities for people to share their personal experiences and
why they choose to live in Santa Monica. Activities would be made available to the
public at community events such as the Santa Monica Festival, planning workshops,
and Santa Monica Talks. Projects may include temporary art installations, "share your
story" audio recordings, and other interactive activities.
With time and partnership, the CCES would modernize civic engagement, improve
access between people and government, and create a culture of democratic
participation in everyday life
Alternatives
If Council has a specific area of interest regarding civic engagement, Council could
direct staff to investigate that area in greater detail. Council could also direct staff to
focus on specific areas of the community civic engagement strategy. Or, Council could
choose not to move forward with the CCES initiative.
9
Next Steps
Based on Council's direction, the interdepartmental civic engagement staff team would
be assembled, the citizen academy would move forward as proposed, and a
comprehensive strategy to research and test new engagement tools would be further
developed. The timeline for this work would span the organization's next two -year
budget cycle.
Pilot projects would be developed, implemented and evaluated by staff. Some projects
will be successful. Other projects may not. Staff would report back to Council with an
evaluation of activities and outcomes.
Financial Impacts & Budget Actions
There is no immediate financial impact or budget action necessary as a result of the
recommended action. Staff would return to Council if specific budget actions are
required in the future. Staff anticipates including funding to implement the technological
platform component of the Community Civic Engagement Strategy in the FY 2014 -15
proposed budget.
Prepared by: Matthew Mornick, Principal Administrative Analyst
Approved: Forwarded to Council:
Rod Gould Rod Gould
City Manager City Manager
10