In April of 2022, Chula Vista City Manager Maria V. Kachadoorian has appointed 12 individuals to serve on the Chula Vista Technology and Privacy Advisory Task Force, including residents with expertise in technology, education, law enforcement, small business, and civil rights.

To assemble the task force, the City issued a request for applicants and encouraged the public to apply. The City received 57 applications from individuals interested in serving on the task force. The pool of applicants was narrowed by a selection committee of community leaders, and Kachadoorian personally interviewed 21 applicants before making her final appointments.

The task force will provide informed policy recommendations governing the use of technology in City operations and services, including public safety, traffic management, community services, economic development, and other service areas of the City. The draft policy and recommendations are planned to be presented to the City Council for consideration in the fall of 2022.

For more information, meeting agenda and how to view and submit ecomments for the meeting, visit chulavistaca.gov/privacytaskforce.

The City of Chula Vista is developing a comprehensive open data program as part of the City’s commitment to an open, accessible, efficient and transparent government.

By making certain data publicly available and easy to access, the City aims to empower the community, promote civic engagement, improve service delivery, and increase opportunities for economic development.

In 2017, Chula Vista was selected as one of the participating cities in the Bloomberg Philanthropies’ national What Work Cities initiative – one of the largest philanthropic efforts to enhance the use of data and evidence in the public sector.

Click here to see the Press Release.

What is data? What is open data?

Data is structured information, typically statistical or factual data in a tabular form. City operations generate a large volume of data about a broad range of government functions. City employees track and analyze this data to identify trends and solve problems for the community.

Examples of data generated and analyzed by city employees include everything from traffic counts to business licenses to emergency calls for service. City data might also include street sweeping schedules, locations of fire hydrants, and the number of registrants for various City recreation classes.

Historically, most of the City’s data has only been available to City staff, who use it for their day-to-day work. The public generally sees this data only when it is presented in a report to City Council, or when a member of the public specifically requests certain information through the California Public Records Act.

Open data, by contrast, is data that can be directly accessed by the public. Open data is available in a public portal where it can easily be viewed and copied without the need to formally make a request or get permission to view it.

There are currently several ways to access City data.

The City’s Open Data Portal provides access to all of the City’s published datasets, as well as map viewers and other tools to interpret and understand the data.

The Chula Vista Police Department Open Data displays a variety of data related to public safety via a series of interactive dashboards. 

Many of the City Clerk’s records are available to browse online. These records include City Council agendas, minutes, resolutions, ordinances, campaign filings, and statements of economic interest.

Records that are not immediately available online can be obtained through a request under the California Public Records Act, which allows the public to inspect or receive a copy of any record in the City’s possession, unless the record is exempted from disclosure under the act. Instructions on how to make a PRA request are on the City Clerk’s website.

In 2018, the City Council adopted the Open Data Policy, which defines open data and sets broad policies for how the City will manage open data. The purpose of the Open Data Policy is to support transparency by increasing public access and engagement by making city data easily accessible so the public can better understand how their local government is performing. The policy provides a mechanism to protect the privacy, confidentiality and security of city data, where appropriate.

The Open Data Policy is inspired by best practices developed by other cities with open data programs. It is modeled on emerging standards for government open data programs, such as the What Works Cities standard.

View a full PDF copy of the Open Data Policy.

The Data Governance Committee is a group of City employees responsible for overseeing the open data program. The Committee manages the City’s data inventory, prioritizes datasets for publication, and performs quality assurance to ensure all data is complete, up-to-date, and in compliance with all laws and policies related to privacy and security. Additionally, the Committee makes high-level decisions about data creation, curation, and consumption in the City.

The Office of City Manager announced the formation of the Data Governance Committee on December 5, 2019. Click here to see the Memo.

The Committee is organized around the following roles and responsibilities: