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| Sunshine Week (Photo credit: Free Press Pics) |
Government
transparency is the cornerstone of democracy.
As such, it is our collective responsibility to protect our right to a
government that is open, and whose business is the business of the people it
serves. Similarly, it is the
responsibility of state and local elected officials to work to actively increase
the public’s access to public information, to provide opportunities for citizen
participation in key decision-making processes and report the results of those
decisions back out to constituents.
Governments
that create pathways for citizens’ effective engagement and participation
typically learn that doing so, enables them to enhance their own performance;
by using public feedback to guide their decisions, government leaders can fund
and implement programs and services that are reflective of the public’s
interest and that are highly impactful at improving their overall quality of
life.
I am
writing today because this week is International Sunshine Week—an initiative
dedicated to educating the public about the importance of open government. As
such, I would like to reassert my commitment to fostering a transparent
government.
Here
in Long Beach, I have been working to identify solutions for increasing
government transparency and exploring opportunities that will encourage
collaboration and innovation. In January of last year, I led the launch of “Open
Up Long Beach,” a government transparency website that aims to provide residents
with access to important information, including city budget documents, council
agenda items, City departments, and other important resources.
My council
colleagues and I have also initiated several online applications that serve as
dynamic two-way communication channels between residents and city staff and
implemented new open government policies, requiring that all city contracts be
posted online.
California
Forward, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, is just one of the many groups
throughout the state that are working to bring government closer to the people.
This week, they are launching their “Government Transparency Portal,” an online
tool that residents can use to access information about the inner workings of
their local government as well as others throughout the state.
With the
increased use of technology and the internet as well as of dozens of other
online innovations, there’s no reason not to be more open and transparent,
especially now in the digital age. I support open, transparent local
government, and I encourage you to do the same.
