The region’s world-class universities, research institutions, and life sciences industry have a long history of groundbreaking discoveries that have saved lives across the globe, including several companies working around the clock right now in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
As Mayor, I have pushed to make the City of San Diego as innovative as the people we serve. Now San Diego proudly leads the way when it comes to creating a more inclusive, transparent, and open government.
We started by overhauling the City’s website with an award-winning redesign that makes it easier for the public to navigate. We opened our books by putting the entire budget and City data sets online for anyone to access. We bolstered transparency by creating an online portal that makes requesting public records simple and straightforward—and allows everyone to see the documents provided, not just the person asking.

Then we looked at ways to make City Hall run more like a business by bringing services online to cut red tape. San Diego is now one of the largest cities in the nation to accept and approve construction permits completely online. We have installed smart streetlights that are collecting data to help fight climate change. And we launched the “Get It Done” application so residents can report issues—from graffiti to a pothole—that needs to be addressed.

In San Diego, we pride ourselves in asking “Why?” when we are told that something has always been done a certain way. We are constantly looking for new solutions to more efficiently and effectively deliver the neighborhood services our 1.4 million residents rely on every day. In doing so, we are making our city, our nation, and our world a better place for all.