Engaged California: Designing a new model for democratic engagment
Engaged California was the state’s first-in-the-nation deliberative democracy program — a bold effort to bring everyday residents directly into the policymaking process. As the lead strategist and co-architect, I helped design the program from the ground up, building a model that centered equity, accessibility, and genuine public voice. What we created became a national point of reference for modern democratic practice.
The Challenge
California is home to nearly 40 million people, yet most major policy decisions are shaped by a small set of influential voices. Traditional public comment periods and hearings tend to reward the loudest or most resourced, not the most representative.
The question was urgent and clear:
How do we build a civic process that reflects the full spectrum of Californians — not just the ones who can show up at 10:00 AM on a weekday?
We needed a new civic ritual. Something more than outreach. Something more than surveys. Something that trusted the people again.
My Role
I served as the lead strategist in developing Engaged California as a program supported by technology and skilled people. My work included designing the deliberative model with experts, shaping the operational framework, and building the cross-agency partnerships required to make the program real. I was responsible for ensuring the program was both scalable and deeply human-centered.
My contributions included:
- Developing the program architecture and deliberation structure
- Convening a multidisciplinary coalition with partners and state departments to bring the program to life
- Creating equity guidelines for participant selection
- Designing facilitation models and decision-making frameworks
- Providing implementation strategy and oversight through launch
The Work
Together with a dedicated team, we shaped Engaged California into a cohesive statewide model. Our work included:
• A resident-centered deliberation format:
Sessions were structured to ensure psychological safety, equitable participation, and informed conversation.
• Robust outreach approaches:
Instead of relying on volunteer turnout, we used outreach to community groups and data to ensure diverse voices were represented.
• Actionable outcomes:
Each deliberation produced recommendations tied directly to real policy questions, not abstract exercises.
• Cross-agency alignment:
We brought departments into a shared practice of listening, transparency, and follow-through.
Impact
Engaged California was widely recognized as a pioneering state-level deliberative democracy program. It:
- Provided policymakers with deeply informed, resident-driven insights
- Demonstrated that everyday people, with the right structure, can meaningfully shape complex policy
- Became a reference model cited by leading public engagement and democracy organizations nationwide
- Helped restore trust between Californians and their government during a time of widespread institutional fatigue
More importantly, the pilot showed something essential:
People are ready to participate in building a better state — when we build systems that trust them to do so.
Reflections
This project reaffirmed a core belief of mine:
Democracy works when we design it with the people it serves.
Engaged California wasn’t just a policy initiative — it was a return to the idea that belonging and agency are fundamental civic technologies. The experience shaped my approach to every project since: build with people, build transparently, and build systems worthy of public trust.
