California Governor Gavin Newsom has announced Engaged California, a new digital democracy initiative aimed at connecting residents directly with government officials during crises and allowing them to voice concerns on pressing issues. The online platform will first focus on supporting victims of the devastating wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena before expanding to broader civic engagement efforts.
Newsom described Engaged California as “a town hall for the modern era,” designed to foster real-time discussions between Californians and the state government. The initiative is modeled after a similar platform in Taiwan, which proved crucial for public engagement and disinformation mitigation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To participate, Californians only need an email address to access the platform, submit concerns, and track government responses. Artificial intelligence will analyze comments, prioritizing issues that require state intervention. Initial topics could include insurance coverage, stricter building codes, and requiring utilities to bury power lines underground to prevent future wildfire-related disasters.
“We’re starting this effort by more directly involving Californians in the LA firestorm response and recovery,” said Newsom. “As we recover, reimagine, and rebuild Los Angeles, we will do it together.”
The initiative’s goals extend beyond disaster response, aiming to streamline citizen-government interactions on various policy issues. Traditionally, Californians seeking to influence decisions must testify before city councils, write letters, or email legislators—often time-consuming and inaccessible for many.
Engaged California seeks to lower these barriers by aggregating public comments (while stripping identifying information) and presenting the data to government agencies. Officials will then analyze feedback and recommend policy actions, making the process more responsive and inclusive.
Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, a former California Supreme Court justice and current president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, emphasized the platform’s potential:
“The goal is not just to post things that people submit. It’s to foster a conversation and uncover ideas the government might not always be able to get.”
The initiative is a public-private collaboration involving nearly a dozen academic and nonprofit organizations. The software platform and digital tools cost the state approximately $115,000, according to Roy Kennedy, a spokesperson for the California Government Operations Agency.
Amy Tong, secretary of the agency, highlighted how Engaged California will help citizens deliberate on complex issues like wildfire recovery without the burdens of traditional government processes.
“My hope is that people will see in this an opportunity to give real-time, honest input to the state of California,” Tong said. This initiative aligns with Newsom’s long-standing focus on leveraging technology to improve governance. As mayor of San Francisco during the 1990s tech boom, he cultivated strong relationships with Silicon Valley leaders. His 2013 book, Citizenville, explored how technology could reinvent government decision-making.
Balancing innovation with regulation has been a key challenge for Newsom. In a discussion with Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, he reiterated his dual commitment to maintaining California’s tech leadership while addressing concerns around AI, social media, and misinformation.
With Engaged California, Newsom is once again positioning the state at the forefront of digital democracy, harnessing technology to bridge the gap between citizens and policymakers.
