January 17, 2024
To: C harter Review Advisory Committee, City of Stockton From: Moss Adams, LLP
Subject: Public Information Officer – City Charter Review Memo _____
The City of Stockton (the City) requested its internal auditor, Moss Adams, conduct a City Charter review including a compilation of how other cities organize and operationalize the Public Information Officer (PIO) role. The review is intended to assist the City in re-evaluating key components of the City Charter, identifying potential updates and changes based on peer and best practices, and enabling a productive charter revision process. The purpose of this memo is to provide a summary of the evaluation of PIO-related components of the charter, as well as an analysis of the City’s alignment with peers and industry best practices related to the PIO.
The City’s approach to the PIO was compared to five peer cities that were identified by Moss Adams and reviewed for relevance by City management: Riverside, Bakersfield, Sacramento, Santa Ana, and Anaheim. The analysis compared the City with peers in the areas listed in the following table.
Areas where the City is potentially misaligned with peers are noted in the table below.
TOPIC STOCKTON PEER ANALYSIS SUMMARY
Inclusion of
PIO in the
Charter
Stockton’s City Charter stipulates the
existence of a PIO who serves under the
direction and supervision of the Mayor
and details the functions and duties of the
role.
None of the peer cities included in this
analysis mention the PIO role in their City
charter.
Appointment
of Officers
Stockton’s charter stipulates that the PIO
is appointed by the Mayor.
Of the two cities that include information
about appointing officers other than the
City Attorney and City Clerk in their
charter, one stipulates that the City
Manager appoints officers and one
stipulates that the City Council appoints
officers.
Existence of a
Public
Information
Office
Public information is currently
coordinated through the Mayor’s Office,
with support from the City Manager’s
Office (CMO).
Although some peers have dedicated
Communications offices, most handle
media and public communications out of
the CMO.
Attachment J
TOPIC STOCKTON PEER ANALYSIS SUMMARY
PIO Reporting
and
Organizational
Structure
● There is a Public Information Officer
in the Mayor’s Office.
● The Charter states that PIO is under
the direction and supervision of the
Mayor.
● There is a Community Relations
Officer in the CMO, who also
performs some PIO-related duties.
● The PIO or equivalent position in all
peer cities reports to the City
Manager or Deputy City Manager.
Some cities also have dedicated PIOs
embedded in departments like Police.
● PIOs at three cities lead dedicated
public communications offices.
● One city employs a Media and
Communications Officer in the CMO
and a Communications Director in the
Mayor’s office, similar to Stockton.
PIO Duties
According to the City Charter, the PIO
gathers and disseminates information to
the public and the news media
concerning the policies of the Council and
other information regarding the City.
All comparable positions at peer cities
undertake similar job duties.
Public
Records
Requests
Although the Stockton website indicates
that the City Clerk responds to public
records requests, in practice, the City
Clerk can accept public records requests,
but the CMO and City Attorney’s Office
coordinate to fulfill requests. The City
Charter does not indicate who should
manage public records requests.
According to peer city websites, City
Clerks respond to public records requests
in all peer cities.
This section provides further research on each area where the City is potentially misaligned with best practices.
Inclusion of PIO in the Charter: None of the City peers examined include PIOs in their city charter.
While including a PIO in the charter can have benefits such as providing a clear reporting structure, promoting transparency, and ensuring a consistent approach to public communication, the drawbacks can include limited flexibility and the possibility of politicizing the position. Therefore, including PIOs in a charter may be a more natural fit for cities with large populations and complex communication needs.
Appointment of Officers, PIO Reporting, and Organizational Structure: The City’s charter states that the PIO is appointed by and supervised by the Mayor. In all peer cities examined, the PIO or equivalent position reports to the CMO. While reporting to the CMO or the Mayor’s office afford similar benefits for PIOs in terms of direct access to the City’s top decision-makers and the ability to exercise more control over messaging, it is important to consider the risks of political interference and limited perspective that may arise from the PIO reporting to and being appointed by an elected official. It is important that the PIO is seen as a trustworthy and reliable source of information by the public, and that key communications functions and interdepartmental collaboration is in compliance with state laws pertaining to emergency alerts and warnings.
Attachment J
Public Records Requests: Although the City and all peer cities examined share on their websites that the City Clerk receives public records requests, the California Public Records Act does not appear to require that the City Clerk manages the response to these requests. However, a PIO is typically focused on acting as a liaison between a city and the media as well as public communications, and responding to such requests appears to be generally out of scope for this position. Typically, City Attorney’s Offices respond to public records requests due to state compliance requirements.
Thank you,
Moss Adams LLP
Attachment J
APPENDIX
STOCKTON PEERS
Topic Source/Section
Riverside Bakersfield Sacramento Santa Ana Anaheim
Charter Charter Charter Charter Charter
What charters say
about PIO
SECTION 1151. Public Information Officer.
The Public Information Office shall be administered by
a Public Information Officer appointed by the Mayor
who shall serve at his or her pleasure. The Public
Information Officer shall be under the direction and
supervision of the Mayor.
SECTION 1152. Functions and Duties.
The Public Information Officer shall gather and
disseminate to the public and to the news media, in a
timely manner, accurate and complete information
concerning the policies of the Council and other
information regarding the City and the general region
in which it is located.
Does not mention Does not mention Does not mention Does not mention Does not mention Appointment of
Officers (charter) PIO appointed by the Mayor N/A other than City Attorney and City Clerk
Appointed by City Manager
(Charter Section 38)
Appointed by City Council
(Charter Article VI.70) N/A N/A other than City Attorney and City Clerk
Is there a Public
Information Office?
Public information is coordinated through the Mayor’s
Office, with support from the CMO Yes, within CMO Yes, but called the Public Communications Office
Yes, but called Media and
Communications, which is in the
CMO
No, public information and media
relations is handled through the
CMO
Yes, but called Communications
Is there a Public
Information Officer?
Yes, there is a PIO in the Mayor’s Office, and a
Community Relations Officer in the CMO who also
performs some PIO-related duties.
Yes, leads the Public Information
Office
Yes, leads the Public
Communications Office
No, there is a Media and
Communications Manager in the
CMO. There is also a
Communications Director who
does press for the Mayor.
Yes, Public Affairs Information
Officer
Closest match is Chief
Communications Officer
Who does PIO report
to?
The Public Information Officer shall be under the
direction and supervision of the Mayor.
*2020 Charter amendment was approved that said
the PIO would sit under an elected office. However,
PIO currently sits in CMO.
City Manager City Manager Equivalent reports to City
Manager City Manager Communications Dept reports to
Deputy City Manager
Organizational chart
comparison
Public information is coordinated through the Mayor’s
Office and CMO
Stands alone but next to Office of
Communications in chart (also
reports to CMO)
Organized with Executive Staff
(Admin Analysts and
Management Assistant)
Does not list PIO in org chart, but
lists news media contacts for
many departments that are linked
elsewhere as PIOs
Per website, Public Affairs
Information Officer is in the CMO N/A
Attachment J
STOCKTON PEERS
Topic Source/Section
Riverside Bakersfield Sacramento Santa Ana Anaheim
Charter Charter Charter Charter Charter
PIO job descriptions
The Public Information Officer shall gather and
disseminate to the public and to the news media, in a
timely manner, accurate and complete information
concerning the policies of the Council and other
information regarding the City and the general region
in which it is located.
Serves as a liaison between the
City and the media, works to
inform public on City issues,
works with City Charter Officers,
and responds to all media
requests expect Fire and Police
Manages media inquiries, media
relations, and public information
Does not handle media requests
for elected officials
The City's Office of Media and
Communications facilitates
communication with citizens,
businesses, elected officials and
the City Manager’s Office
regarding City services and
projects. In case of an
emergency, the Media and
Communications Manager helps
disseminate and coordinate vital
information to ensure public
safety.
The City of Sacramento handles
media inquiries, public affairs and
outreach, as well as informational
requests and social media needs.
Responsible for coordinating the
City’s community engagement
activities and is the main contact
person for all official City
communications
The Communications office
informs residents, businesses, and
visitors about the city of Anaheim
through media relations,
publications, social media, and
video operations. The
Communications office ensures
Anaheim residents stay up to date
with city news regarding programs,
services, policy actions and
events. In addition, the office
encourages residents to use a
variety of communication tools that
connect residents with the city of
Anaheim easily 24 hours a day,
seven days a week from any
location.
Who officially
responds to public
records requests
The Stockton website indicates that the City Clerk
responds to public records requests; however, in
practice, the City Clerk can accept public records
requests, but the CMO and City Attorney’s Office
coordinate to fulfill requests. The City Charter does
not indicate who should manage public records
requests.
City Clerk City Clerk City Clerk City Clerk City Clerk
Attachment J