OPTIC · REPORT 1 OF 3
Evaluation and Plan
City Council Meeting
September 1, 2026
Agenda Item 10.3
THE REQUEST
In June, the Council asked for an assessment
and a plan for OPTIC.
OPTIC is the City's Office of Public Transparency, Information and Communication. Its charge is to fulfil the City’s obligation to the public's right to know. This is the first of three reports. Tonight covers the assessment and the plan. The 60- and 90-day reports show measured progress toward that goal.
WHAT THAT CHARGE INVOLVES
California Public
Records Act
Brown Act open meetings ADA and web accessibility
Records retention Language access Emergency public
information
METHOD
How We Assessed
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 Baldrige Excellence Framework
The federal standard for organizational
performance, administered by NIST.
3CMA Communications Audit
The municipal communications
profession's own audit method.
100% of pages
The full City website was reviewed,
plus 12 months of analytics.
Every function
Every OPTIC function and every
communications channel evaluated.
13 findings
Each paired with a recommendation and a
measurable target.
THE CORE FINDING
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 There was no system to measure whether
communications delivered value.
No baseline. No performance indicators by department. No public dashboard. Building that system is the spine of this plan. We are establishing a baseline, department metrics, and a public dashboard.
BOTTOM LINE
What We Delivered in 30 Days
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 41 to 95 out of 100
Accessibility
City website ADA score
raised. Title II legal exposure
addressed.
July 21 on schedule
Broadcast
Council meeting aired PEG-
compliant across three
independent channels
100% vs a 90% standard
Media Inquiries
Every inquiry is
acknowledged and logged
within one day.
100% of the team
Work Plans
Individual work plans with
KPIs completed.
+662.9% year over year
Video Views
536,492 views across the
City's social platforms.
10 of 13 departments
Citywide Network
Director meetings held,
booked, or excluded.
REACH AND ENGAGEMENT
The Numbers Behind the Growth
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 Social media performance, January 1 through August 26, 2026, compared with the same period in 2025.
▲ 44.1%
Impressions
3,424,673 this year
▲ 36.2%
Engagements
136,777 this year
▲
662.9%
Video views
536,492 this year
▲
183%
Published posts
1,599 this year
▲ 123.8%
Net audience growth
3,493 net new
▲
50.9%
Post link clicks
1,624 this year
“A 41% increase of followers is a really good sign over the past year… look, you're doing great!” Mirella Manilla – Meta Partner Manager | Government, Politics, Advocacy, and Compliance Source: Sprout Social, City of Stockton profiles.
REACH ACROSS THE CITY
A Citywide Communications Coordinator Network
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 10 of 13
Director-level meetings held, booked, or
covered by City Manager designation.
13 departments
Fifteen departments and offices
were reviewed, each with a named
communications point of contact.
Held 8 Meetings
Community Development, Fire, Community
Services, City Clerk, Environment & Sustainability,
IT, Municipal Utilities, OVP
Booked 1 Meeting
Human Resources
In progress 3 remaining
Public Works, Administrative Services,
Economic Development
FINDINGS
What the Data Found
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 72,871
Views of the website error page
The 5th most-visited page on the site,
about 1 in 40 pageviews. An inherited
condition, now being corrected.
72%
Of all site views land on the homepage.
Residents arrive with a task. That is the
blueprint for the City website redesign.
Real demand: what residents come for
Top task destinations, 12-month views
Animal Services 142K
Jobs 114K
Pay a bill 101K
Police 86K
THE PLAN
13 Recommendations, Each Measured
City of Stockton · OPTIC Evaluation and Plan · September 2026 1 Performance framework
3 to 5 KPIs per department and
a public performance dashboard.
60-day
2 Media protocol
Acknowledge 90 percent of
inquiries within one business day.
60-day
3 Website
Task-based redesign built from the
analytics, with a drop in error-page traffic.
90-day
4 Standards
Hold a score of 95 or higher with quarterly
audits, brand standards, and a crisis
communications framework.
Ongoing
One strategy, six parts
Communications Program
Operating standards and measurement.
Media Relations Plan
Protocol, spokespeople, 1-day standard.
Social Media Strategy
Content, channels, and growth.
Public Outreach Framework
Audiences and methods.
Crisis Communications
Accuracy when it matters.
Branding and Marketing
Citywide standards for one voice.
Recommendation
ACTION
Return to Council at 60 and 90 days,
with measured progress against this plan.
ACCOUNTABILITY
This office measures its work and reports it
in the open, including a public performance
dashboard.
ONE PLAN, THREE REPORTS
Today
Evaluation and plan. Baseline set,
measurement system & standards adopted.
60 days
System live. First department KPIs reported.
Media and accessibility standards holding.
90 days
Results. Public dashboard live. Website
redesign underway, error-page traffic down.