City of Long Beach Ranks First Nationwide as a 2024 Top Digital City
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Above: (Left) Center for Digital Government Senior Vice President Teri Takai presents the 2024 Top Digital City Award to City of Long Beach Technology and Innovation Department Director Lea Eriksen. (Right) Eriksen accepts the 2024 SoCal CIO Large Enterprise ORBIE Award.

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach has been recognized as the first-place Top Digital City for its population size in the Center for Digital Government's (CDG) 2024 Digital Cities Survey. The survey is conducted annually and evaluates how cities nationwide use technology to advance city goals, operations and services to the community. This is the first time since the creation of the survey in 2001 that any city in any population category nationwide has ranked first for four consecutive years, and the 14th consecutive year that Long Beach has been recognized as a Top 10 Digital City.

"It is an honor to be the first city named as a top digital city for four consecutive years," said Mayor Rex Richardson. "These awards exemplify our City's consistent leadership in developing and implementing trailblazing technology services and programs that prioritize the needs of Long Beach residents and strive to advance equity and inclusion in an increasingly digital world."

Now in its 24th year, the annual Digital Cities Survey recognizes cities nationwide that utilize technology to tackle social challenges, enhance services and strengthen cyber security, among other initiatives. It honors cities in five population classifications, with Long Beach assigned to the 250,000 to 499,999 population category.

The City continues to be an industry leader in government technology because of its forward-thinking and strategic technology vision, emphasis on making technology accessible to all residents, and its fundamental role in enhancing how Long Beach functions.

This year's Top Digital City designation was based on the City's progress through the following key initiatives, which prioritize innovation, equity and security in service delivery:
  • Developed a citywide Generative AI Guidance for City staff, issued in January 2024, to address, promote and enhance the safe and responsible use of Generative AI in Long Beach. The City recognizes the opportunities generative AI presents and developed a responsible approach to its use by acknowledging the benefits to efficiency while mitigating risks around AI bias, privacy and cyber security.
  • Supported the City's hiring efforts by successfully coordinating a six-month pilot of LinkedIn Talent's AI-based solutions and worked with the Departments of Human Resources and Civil Services and the City Manager's Office to find, attract and hire top talent. This successful pilot was transitioned into a full contract after reviewing the metrics. The hiring funnel saw a 229.2% increase in total awareness and a 222.3% increase in total engagement. Total jobs and page views increased by 175.2% - overall emphasizing the pilot's impact in drawing increased awareness around the City of Long Beach's job opportunities.
  • Launched an enhanced Digital Rights Platform to improve transparency by providing details about the City's data collection and usage practices for over 20 smart city technologies, such as public Wi-Fi, security cameras and public computers. Moving forward, any new smart city technologies the City acquires will be required to be added to the platform, and the City will continue to post educational public notice signage in English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog, allowing residents to learn more about these technologies.
  • Leveraged community voices to select four technology pilot projects sourced through the Long Beach Collaboratory (LB Co-Lab), a first-of-its-kind immersive technology program for Long Beach residents to design and deploy technologies in their neighborhood and gain career skills to find tech jobs. Twenty-seven community members representing four neighborhoods participated in the program, received nearly 40 hours of technology learning, and each received a $1,000 stipend for their contributions.
  • Launched a Civic User Research practice to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of digital services in the City. This effort engages the public in the digital space and solicits public input to create digital services that are accessible for all Long Beach residents. This practice supports the City's work in developing channels for community co-design with residents, small businesses and other stakeholder groups who stand to benefit the most from digital literacy gains.
  • Partnered with the City's Department of Public Works and the Office of Climate Action and Sustainability to develop a prototype web-based and eCommerce style application that streamlines the process for residents applying for free tree planting.
  • Assisted the City Prosecutor's Office in creating a data-sharing mobile application that allows Long Beach Police Department officers to connect and reconnect persons experiencing homelessness, mental illness or substance use challenges to the services they need.
  • Worked with the Community Development Department to launch a new appointment service platform, enabling community members to easily schedule appointments online and meet with Building and Safety staff virtually to save time and travel.
  • Focused on building and protecting community trust and improving equitable access to technology through TID 26, the City's Technology and Innovation Department's (TID) short-term information technology strategic plan. As part of this effort, TID implemented a community survey, receiving 270 responses, and hosted workshops that allowed residents to share their feedback about their technology needs and suggestions for improvement.
  • Moved City's mainframe system (physical hardware) to the cloud, minimizing the risk of hardware issues and improving City's ability to back up data and recover quickly in case of an emergency.

"I am incredibly proud of our team and the diverse, innovative technology projects and initiatives we undertake each year," said Technology and Innovation Department Director Lea Eriksen. "These accomplishments reflect our commitment to advancing digital equity, strengthening community trust and ensuring that our City is prepared for the future with responsible, cutting-edge solutions."

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Additionally, Eriksen received this year's SoCal CIO Large Enterprise ORBIE Award, which honors technology leadership in organizations with over $1.5 billion annual revenue.

The ORBIE Awards is the premier recognition program for technology executives in the U.S., honoring outstanding chief information officers and chief information security officers since 1998. Winners are chosen by an independent peer review process led by former ORBIE recipients based on criteria such as leadership effectiveness, business value from technology innovation, and engagement in industry and community initiatives.

"Cities of every size are redefining what's possible using technology to elevate public service and improve government," said John Matelski, Executive Director of the Center for Digital Government. "The Digital Cities Survey is proud to honor these visionary leaders and cities setting bold new benchmarks in digital governance. Congratulations to all those driving impactful change and pioneering the future of local government with innovation and steadfast commitment."

The CDG is a national research and advisory institute focused on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The CDG is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event, and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation.  The complete list of this year's winners is available on the CDG website.

About the City of Long Beach
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. To learn more about Technology and Innovation, visit: longbeach.gov/ti.

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