Pacific

Increasing Equitable Access to Affordable Utilities for All Angelenos
The L.A. Department of Water and Power (LADWP) provides reliable and safe water and electricity to 4 million residents and businesses, while also striving to provide affordable utilities to the city’s most vulnerable residents. LADWP leadership recognizes that the health and economic crises spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted... Read more
Ensuring an Equitable, Effective, and Safe Distribution of the COVID-19 Vaccine
To help protect the health and well-being of Los Angeles County residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) implemented the largest vaccine distribution effort in its history. As the largest U.S. county, L.A. County’s vaccine equity efforts have been pivotal to the achievement... Read more
Launching a Nonprofit to Build Affordable Housing for Special Populations
Cities and counties throughout the Bay Area face a dire affordable housing crisis. In Alameda County alone, homelessness grew by 40% from 2015 to 2017, with 41% of those experiencing homelessness reporting that a serious mental illness (SMI) impacted their ability to obtain housing. The County has been experiencing a... Read more
Effective Reportable Disease Surveillance for COVID-19 Recovery
The core mission of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) is to protect the health and well-being of Angelenos. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this charge has become even more critical. DPH recognized that a strong underlying reportable disease surveillance system was key to ensuring timely and accurate... Read more
Connecting Residents to Comprehensive Services
The Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS) provides residents with a range of programs. While many operate efficiently, internal and external communication, coordination, and alignment between programs can be improved to ensure seamless services for residents. To support this work, WDACS enlisted FUSE Executive... Read more
Redesigning Workflow to Increase Efficiencies
At the Los Angeles County Department of Workforce Development, Aging and Community Services (WDACS), staff handling frontline services can spend as much as 60% to 70% of their time on internal workflow. Rather than devoting such an outsized amount of time to procurement, approvals and other internal tasks, the team’s... Read more
Designing Systems to Capture and Share Institutional Digital Content
The Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering is experiencing increased demand for its services. At the same time, a quarter of its employees are nearing retirement. The Bureau recognizes the need to update its infrastructure and create a shared library of digital content to ensure an effective knowledge transfer of ongoing... Read more
Strengthening Affordable Housing Programs for Vulnerable Residents
Stockton, like many cities across the nation, is facing sharply declining levels of affordable housing and a growing number of people experiencing homelessness. The COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated this crisis. The City is working to alleviate housing insecurity among its residents, including increasing and preserving affordable housing, creating protections for... Read more
Assessing Rent Stabilization to Safeguard Affordable Housing
In a 2017-2018 annual report, only 6 percent of San Jose residents described the availability of affordable housing as “excellent” or “good.” To that end, the San Jose City Council created a Rent Stabilization Program. To ensure the program’s success, Housing Department officials seek to evaluate the program and its... Read more
Building an Information System to Protect Renters from Displacement
Gentrification in Oakland has significantly impacted renters, who comprise 59 percent of households and pay some of the highest rents in the nation. Compounding the issue, a lack of robust data makes it difficult for policymakers to respond to unjust evictions and illegal rent increases. To address this problem, the... Read more