The California League of Cities has honored the City of San Diego with the Helen Putnam Award for outstanding work by the city’s Performance and Analytics Department. This department was established to bring more accountability, efficiency and openness to government. Establishment of this department placed open data, performance management and other operational initiatives under one roof.

“We're changing the culture so employees are empowered to be creative and find new ways to provide the best service possible to our customers, the taxpayers,” Mayor Kevin Faulconer said. “This statewide recognition is a testament to the fact that San Diego's Performance and Analytics team is making our city better equipped to keep our neighborhoods safe, repair streets and infrastructure, and provide easy access to services in person and online.”

Since its establishment in 2014, the department has spearheaded efforts to shorten 911 call wait times; launch a web app that details road repair work and the condition of the city’s entire street network; create a data search portal that allows the public to find various types of city information; conduct a resident satisfaction survey on city performance; create “Get It Done” (above) web and mobile apps for residents to request services; participate in a Hackathon aimed at creating strategies for implementing SD’s Climate Action Plan; and launch a performance dashboard that allows residents to view performance measures for core city services.