City Of Hope
Residents need patience to get civil answers
By Jeff Harris
March 2026
Do you know how your local government works? If you have questions about city services, can you find the answers?
The city tries to be transparent and help residents find information and provide feedback. The city’s website, cityofsacramento.org, contains a wealth of information. But it takes the patience of an elephant to navigate.
The city’s IT department recently introduced an AI tool to help search. I kicked the tires and found the new system makes the website easier to navigate.
Enter your query in the search box and see what synopsis your artificial buddy comes up with. Links are provided to dig deeper.
It’s not perfect. Sometimes outdated information comes up. Be persistent and you’ll usually find what you seek.
I wanted to know attendance records for councilmembers at City Council meetings. AI told me to contact the clerk’s office, so I did. They don’t tally up attendance, but the city clerk assured me she is “transiting to a system that will track it. It should be live this summer.
As far as city government goes, contacting your councilmember is a crapshoot. Some have staff that respond. Some don’t. I’ve spoken to many people who often received no response to their calls and emails.
City Council meetings and agendas are easily found online, both live and with archived video. You can hear public testimony and council comments. And you can attend a council meeting on Tuesdays and address the board. Keep your comments to 2 minutes or less.
Since 2018, the city auditor has conducted an annual “Community Survey” to get metrics on how residents feel about key issues. Now it’s done biennially. The response window for the 2026 survey closed Feb. 13. Did you take the survey? I’d like to hear your experience.
Enter your query in the search box and see what synopsis your artificial buddy comes up with. Links are provided to dig deeper.
It’s not perfect. Sometimes outdated information comes up. Be persistent and you’ll usually find what you seek.
I wanted to know attendance records for councilmembers at City Council meetings. AI told me to contact the clerk’s office, so I did. They don’t tally up attendance, but the city clerk assured me she is “transiting to a system that will track it. It should be live this summer.”
As far as city government goes, contacting your councilmember is a crapshoot. Some have staff that respond. Some don’t. I’ve spoken to many people who often received no response to their calls and emails.
City Council meetings and agendas are easily found online, both live and with archived video. You can hear public testimony and council comments. And you can attend a council meeting on Tuesdays and address the board. Keep your comments to 2 minutes or less.
Since 2018, the city auditor has conducted an annual “Community Survey” to get metrics on how residents feel about key issues. Now it’s done biennially. The response window for the 2026 survey closed Feb. 13. Did you take the survey? I’d like to hear your experience.
