Public Trust and Ethics

It takes only one scandal to give the public the impression that all local elected officials are not to be trusted, and public perception can be very slow to change. How can we build our…

City officials share the best advice they’ve received on serving in public office.

A crime-ridden trail spurred unhappy residents into action and led to a collaborative effort involving a local nonprofit, the city, school district and multiple agencies.

A number of “elephants” lurk in city halls statewide.

This year the Institute for Local Government (ILG) celebrates its 60th anniversary. The occasion offers a chance to reflect on ILG’s history of promoting good government at the local level and look to its future in helping create opportunities and establish partnerships that support the work of local agencies throughout California.

Hackers generally hit the easiest targets first. Such an attack may be financially based rather than an attempt to cause mayhem in your city. Risk can be mitigated in many ways, but one of the…

The recent advent of extraordinary technological advances has made it possible to provide easy access to city information and data. It has also presented an unprecedented opportunity to improve…

City leaders often must inspire people to accept and even support changes in their lives that they might otherwise oppose, and storytelling can play a key role.

City policies and practices can maintain records transparency, simplify responding to disclosure requests and reduce costs even before a records request is submitted.