Perspectives on Transparency and Public Engagement

1. Perspectives on Transparency and Public Engagement Offered by JoAnne Speers & Terry Amsler

2. ILG Mission • Promoting good government at the local level • Practical, impartial and easy-to-use materials

3. Resource Areas

4. Discussion: What Issues and Challenges?

5. Objectives • Discuss transparency and public engagement laws and principles • Explore options for increasing transparency and public engagement -Handouts-

6. Why Care About Transparency and Public Engagement?

7. Transparency Laws & Principles Public Engagement Strong Community Information Infrastructure

8. Key Theme in ILG Public Confidence Work • Laws = floor for conduct • Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it meets community expectations • See handout on newspaper test

9. Principles: It’s the public’s business The public trusts a process it can see Discourages misdeeds Principles UnderlyingTransparency Laws Secrecy

10. Transparency Types Process Information

11. Examples of Transparency Laws • Public Records Act (informational) • Brown Act (informational + process) • Disclosure rules (information) • Financial (Form 700) • Charitable fundraising (Form 802) • Gifts (including agency gifts/ceremonial function tickets) • Public hearing requirements (process) • CEQA (informational + process)

12. Penalties: Adverse media attention + costs and litigated Public Records • Agendas + writings prepared, owned, used or retained by agency (including electronic)

13. Conduct business in open and publicized meetings Allow public to participate in meetings Agendas posted on website (new requirement) Open Meeting Requirements

15. Conducting Business at Open Meetings • A majority may not consult outside an agency-convened meeting • Public has right to observe deliberations • Try to influence them • Staff can help or hinder compliance

16. Financial Interest Disclosure(pages 3-6 in Transparency) • Transparency includes obligation for high level public servants to disclose financial interests • Beginning public service • Annually while in service • When leave public service • Includes “designated employees” Secrecy

19. Expense Reimbursement Transparency • Sacramento Suburban Water District Scandal • Misuse of public resources • Result: AB 1234 • Training • Expense Reimbursement

21. Report $50 and up (over a year) Limit $420 per calendar year May also require stepping aside (over $420 in prior 12 months) Gift Rules

22. Gifts Don’t Always Have Bows • Meals, food and drink • Entertainment (concerts & sporting events) • Certain kinds of travel

23. Exceptions for: Some kinds of travel Informational materials Gifts received as part of social relationships predating election “Reciprocal exchanges” More info: www.ca-ilg.org/GiftCenter Gift Rules, continued

24. Transparency Resources

25. Discussion: Promoting Public Trust/Beyond the Minimums • How do you promote compliance with the law? • What kind of information are you disclosing proactively, without being asked? • What’s working; what’s not?

26. Transparency Challenges • Information has to be useable/understandable to recipients • People access information through a variety of channels • It takes resources

27. Options for Increasing Transparency 1. Promote good practices/maximize ethos of “nothing to hide” • Promote plain language communication • Newspaper test • Telling the truth when it hurts

28. Options for Increasing Transparency 2. Foster a culture of transparency • Train staff on transparency requirements and principles • Tone at the top: process matters in public service

29. Options for Increasing Transparency 3. Push information out • Website (see handout) • Information and process transparency • Take advantage of ILG resources • Including Local Government 101 resources

30. Questions or Comments?

31. Keys to Strategic Public Engagement

32. “..like throwing a rock at a hornet’s nest”

33. “…you know what that gets you”

34. Why Public Engagement? (“textbook”) • Discover public preferences • Improve decision-making • Advance fairness and justice • Enhance legitimacy of decisions • Meet legal requirements

35. Why Public Engagement?(practical) • Difficult and complex problems • Real constraints • Partisan or ideological divisions • A lot at stake • Want to get things done (& done once) • Need community input and support

36. Doubts and Resistance • Only the same people participate • Residents not informed…or interested • We’re elected/hired to do the job • Not enough time or resources • “Hornets…”

37. Public Engagement: What Is It? • Civic versus Public Engagement • Purposes/Types of Public Engagement • Public information • Public consultation • Public deliberation • Sustained public problem solving

38. Discussion • Describe your public engagement activities • Why public engagement? • What worked?

39. Examples • Website, fact sheets, newsletters • Surveys • Advisory committees • Question and answer workshops • Public deliberation

40. 1. Purpose(s) 2. Participation 3. Processes Strategic Public Engagement

41. Public Engagement: Purposes • Right issue? • Right public engagement needs identified? • Right approaches (information, consultation, deliberation)? • Right time and resources?

42. Public Engagement: Purposes/2 • Right naming and framing? • Right roles and “ownership”? • Right use of public input? • Right message (internal and external)?

43. Public Engagement: Participation • Who’s important to involve? • Segment (stakeholders, “fans”, interested public, uninterested public) • Stakeholders and/or general public focus

44. Public Engagement: Participation/2 • Reaching the “hard to reach” • Outreach (recruitment – selection) • Communication planning

45. Public EngagementParticipation/3 Inclusive Participation • Start early and set goals • Use partnerships to support engagement • Be flexible in your approach (choices) • Support access

46. Public Engagement: Process • Review purpose/outcomes/desired participants • Information, consultation and/or deliberation • Combination and sequence • Input on process by community?

47. Public Engagement: Process/2 • Flexibility • Information tools • Facilitation • Planning for hot topics

48. Public Engagement Flow Chart Process Process Influence Process New Public Knowledge Issue Framing Participation Purposes Outcomes Communication Strategy

49. Public Engagement: Other Considerations • Communication to leverage impact • Working with consultants • Evaluation: Learning for the future • Agency orientation to public engagement

50. Working Well with Public Engagement Consultants • Do your own public engagement homework • Think about your consultant criteria • Talk to more than one • Check out their experience • Know what’s in their “toolbox”