The Institute offers a variety of publications and resources to help local officials more effectively apply public engagement processes and strategies. This includes detailed guides as well as shorter pieces that hit the main points of a topic, as well as rosters of California youth commissions and citizen academies. These resources are found in the first two sections below.
Also find below a list of resources from other organizations, including guides to achieving successful public engagement.
Institute guides available for purchase or free download:
A Local Official's Guide to Working with Clergy and Congregations. This publication describes approaches to enhance working relationships with clergy and congregations that can deepen and diversify public engagement, extend local agency outreach, and support public services.
A Local Official's Guide to Public Engagement in Budgeting. The guide draws on examples of public engagement in city and county budgeting throughout California and describes six general approaches that local agencies use, often in strategic combination, to involve residents in the budget process.
A Local Official’s Guide to Immigrant Civic Engagement. The guide is designed to help local officials and staff design and implement inclusive civic participation processes that recognize, inform and engage their community’s immigrant residents and their families.
Shorter Institute pieces available for free download include the following:
What is Public Engagement - Definitions of terms used to describe public engagement to help draw distinctions among the various ways people can become involved.
Why Engage the Public? - Description of positive potential outcomes from successfully engaging residents in local decision making.
Ten Ideas to Encourage Immigrant Engagement - A quick overview of ideas from throughout California that may help local officials to more successfully engage immigrant residents.
Collaborative Strategies for Day Labor Centers - This guide will assist local officials, immigrant-serving organizations, day labor center planners and leaders, and others to understand how collaborative relationships, partnerships and processes can assist in the successful development and operations of a day labor center.
Measuring the Success of Local Government Public Engagement - This tip sheet suggests four different public engagement outcomes that local officials can review to assess their public engagement efforts as well as questions that can be asked during the review process.
Assessing Public Engagement Effectiveness: Rapid Review Worksheets - Through the use of these Rapid Review Worksheets, a local agency that has sponsored, organized and/or convened a public engagement process or activity can collect information from both participants and relevant local officials. The goal is to gauge the relative success of the process just completed and to guide improvements to future engagement activities.
Language Access Laws and Legal Issues: A Local Official's Guide Explains the laws that require language access in order to ensure that limited English-proficient residents have access to public benefits and services and an opportunity to participate in public life.
Youth Commissions List - List of local government youth commissions and related youth engagement organizations in California.
Preparing for Public Hearings - A short description of public hearings and ways to make participation more effective.
Other public engagement organizations and resources:
Guides to Public Engagement - The list, compiled by the Institute for Local Government, is intended to help county and city officials design and use public engagement to address local issues and controversies.
Collaborative Governance Resources - A list of organizations in California and nationally that offer public involvement-related information, materials and/or direct assistance.
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