Features

Overview

Features

Article Features By Barbara Halliday and Jan Perkins

The golden rules for new council members

Being a council member is harder than it looks from the outside. Councils that get the most done have a clear vision, shared goals, and a collaborative relationship with the manager and staff based on respect, trust, communication, and accountability. 

Article Features By Ioli Filmeridis

New study sheds light on which local elected officials are likely to get harassed and why

Incivility has become normalized at the local level. But these incidents don’t affect everyone equally. A study of local elected officials in San Diego, Riverside, and Imperial Counties gives us a clearer picture of who gets harassed in Southern California and why. 

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

What happens when reporters leave your town

California has lost one-third of its newspapers since 2005. One county has no local news outlets, while 18 have just one. City officials say the decline in reliable, local news coverage has hampered their mission, damaged community trust, and fueled misinformation.

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

How cities can respond to and heal from mass shootings

Even with the nation’s most effective gun laws, Californians experienced a mass shooting every six days in 2023. “It is a sad state of affairs for our country and our community that we’ve had so many mass shootings that a set of best practices have emerged,” said one expert.

Article Features By Bernard Molloy II

How your city can help secure residents the best possible fire insurance rates

Californians are struggling with skyrocketing fire insurance premiums and canceled policies. And it’s not clear if regulatory efforts to lower prices will have their intended effect. Fire departments can play a key role in lowering rates both now and in the future.

Article Features By Sasha D’Amico

How city officials can prevent and respond to workplace violence

More city officials — particularly women — are facing threats and harassment. Although every city has unique and varied safety concerns, there are some common practices your city can adopt to safeguard elected officials and staff before misfortune strikes. 

Article Features Doug Levy, with David Oro, Brian Baker, and Alexa Davis

Harnessing AI’s power for cities while combating misinformation

Generative artificial intelligence can both enhance city services and cause great harm. This is where policies matter. You need to know exactly what data your AI tool uses and carefully review AI-generated content before publishing it.

Article Features By Simran Kohli

Assembly Woman Quirk-Silva on her 20 years of public service

Assembly Woman Sharon Quirk-Silva sat down with Western City to talk about her long career in public service. According to the former Fullerton mayor, the jump from local office to statewide office was a big one. But, many of the lessons learned as mayor served her well in her new role.   

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

You’re probably not as good at talking and listening as you think, argues veteran NPR host

If you’re a politician, you most likely talk a lot. If you’re a good politician, you almost certainly listen a lot. But are you talking and listening well? Probably not, argues public radio host Celeste Headlee. And that has profound implications for our democracy.

Article Features By Tia Fleming

California cities now have mandatory water budgets. Here’s how to get ready

California’s new water standards become effective Jan. 1, 2025. The new rule shifts away from a one-size-fits-all approach to community-specific conservation management and will affect almost every city — including the 199 classified as urban water suppliers.

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

Welcome to the first AI election. Here’s what local officials need to know and can do to prepare

Experts are warning that artificial intelligence (AI) could undermine this year’s elections. But just what does that mean? Here’s what AI can do, the threats it poses to election security, and how local officials can help their communities prepare.

Article Features By Casey J. Day

How police can better plan for sea level rise

How public agencies collaborate and plan will be vital to how they weather climate change crises. This may mean forgoing traditional top-down emergency planning in favor of participative scenario planning, which can include a wider range of stakeholders. 

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

Hate campaigns are creating a ‘real legitimacy crisis’ says former Berkeley Council Member Rigel Robinson

At 27, Rigel Robinson’s political future was bright. His election to the Berkeley city council had broken barriers and his campaign for mayor won the endorsement of California Attorney General Rob Bonta. But earlier this year, he resigned, citing burnout and a long-running harassment campaign.

Article Features By Peggy Flynn and Alex Renirie

How fair is a fair? People-powered decision-making at the Petaluma Fairgrounds

There is no magic bullet for disengagement and polarization. But there are ways to tackle these issues that don’t require dramatic new investments. Petaluma used one such method to resolve a decades-old conflict over an iconic property.

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

This is ‘on the level of the Flint water crisis,’ warn advocates at California’s southern border

Toxic waste from the Tijuana River has created a public health, economic, and environmental nightmare for cities in San Diego County. The ongoing crisis is a classic example of a local issue that requires a bipartisan regional, state, and federal response.

Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

Anti-Asian hate crimes are down, but people are still worried. And for good reason

It’s easy to think of anti-Asian hate as a red or purple state problem. But most incidents occur here in California. Even though anti-Asian hate decreased in 2022, experts are warning this could be an aberration. Here’s what cities can do to mitigate the next wave of hate.

Article Features By Jackie Krentzman

Gaining purchase: How three cities overcame the pandemic-fueled retail blues

Retail in California has struggled in recent years, especially businesses with smaller footprints. For some cities, this is just another potentially disastrous change they’ve turned into an opportunity. Here are some of the steps three cities have taken to support and grow their retail sector.

A group of residents watching a Lakewood city council meeting in person..
Article Features By Jan Perkins and Dan Keen

Essential tips for effective city council meetings

Effective governance doesn’t happen by chance. There is a cadence to a successful meeting, with a long chain of steps that start well before the meeting starts. Here are some best practices for smoother, more effective council meetings that staff and elected officials alike can use.

A child biking alone on a protected bike bridge.
Article Features By Melissa Lee, CNU-A

Transportation networks are at a critical crossroads

Access to transportation in under-resourced communities — both in rural areas and large central cities — has reached a critical juncture. In these neighborhoods, transportation isn’t just a convenience, it’s a lifeline.

A group of commission members sitting at a long dais.
Article Features By Brian Lee-Mounger Hendershot

Oakland and Sacramento city attorneys: Civilian oversight is crucial to policing

More cities are using civilian oversight organizations to reform and oversee their police departments. But what these organizations can do varies from city to city. Western City sat down with city attorneys from Oakland and Sacramento to discuss their cities’ approaches to civilian oversight.