The nationwide 2020 review didn’t recognize any smaller California munis with populations up to 75,000 — but California cities were represented in every other population category. Here’s a snapshot of each winner:
- 75,000-124,999 Population
Santa Monica earned fifth place for its quick work on COVID-19, moving nearly 800 staffers to telework virtually overnight. Officials battened down the hatches on cybersecurity, training employees in best practices and scam avoidance; and revved up technology to improve parking and offer online permit and citation resolution.
Carlsbad placed seventh, buoyed by having moved 80 percent of its staff to telework amid the pandemic; and by productive working relations between its CIO and chief innovation officer that aided in digital engagement for residents. The city also added a cybersecurity manager and provided cybersecurity training to all employees. - 125,000-249,999 Population
Pasadena tied for third and credited the pandemic for moving its tech infrastructure forward at least five years. The city was chosen to join the state’s Cybersecurity Intelligence Center. Pasadena modernized its website and joined a shared municipal contract for a cloud-based backup solution that’s designed to yield ongoing cost savings.
Corona tied for sixth, interviewing its city manager to ensure alignment with its CIO — and shape the IT department’s strategic plan. The city also replaced a 30-year-old computer-aided dispatch/records management system (CAD/RMS) and implemented a cloud-first strategy. And it moved a nascent cloud-based virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) platform live and to scale when the pandemic struck.
Rancho Cucamonga placed seventh, having deployed the Socrata open data checkbook and a new transparency website. The city started the year with a second data center, signaling a readiness to move into the cloud and remote working. And it moved backups from tape to cloud, greatly modernizing its restoration process.
Roseville placed eighth, beginning 2020 with a review of IT policies and processes. It confers regularly with regional partners on using GIS data, while using ArcGIS Collector to address homelessness. The city enhanced network security firewalls and expanded its use of Citrix tools to enable remote work, and it used Esri technology to meet COVID-19 screening and tracing needs. - 250,000-499,999 Population
Long Beach placed second, with its Technology and Innovation Department (TID) using data to inform COVID response and recovery. Officials updated the four-year-old Open Data Policy with an eye for automation. TID is developing a Strategic Plan as part of the Long Beach Smart City Initiative, and it improved the fail-safe plan for mainframe HR/payroll data by moving to a virtual tape drives system.
Riverside placed sixth, working to enhance data on its open data portal EngageRiverside, a one-stop site where residents can search open records, reach 311 and share ideas. The Innovation and Technology Department has worked to offset budget challenges by guiding other departments on running efficiently and effectively at cost. - 500,000 or More Population
San Jose moved from second to first place, taking lead on a data-driven approach to food distribution throughout the city and county during COVID. Consolidating 250 servers to one platform will save 375,000 kilowatt hours and $200,000 in annual maintenance. A modernized website launched in November 2019, adding a chatbot this June.
Los Angeles placed second, having enabled more than 18,000 to work remote via the Connect2LACity teleworking platform. L.A. deployed a website, app and call center to bolster emergency rent assistance and a Senior Meals intake and routing app to meet pandemic demand. All departments now use the city’s IT Disaster Recovery Policy, which features regular testing.
San Diego placed third, enabling remote work for more than 2,000 via cloud-based VDI. The city used 3D printers to make face shields for hospital workers and first responders. In January, IT centralized city GIS services, reducing costs and speeding up projects. An expanded 311 system and an updated app enabled better resident engagement.
A longer version of this article first appeared in Government Technology, Techwire’s sister publication.
