California will launch the "first-in-the-nation" digital democracy effort to help improve public engagement, Gov. Newsom says

California will launch the "first-in-the-nation" digital democracy program to help support community conversations and promote public engagement on important topics, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says. 

Newsom announced the new program, Engaged California, will use digital platforms to inform the public about important issues that will ultimately help inform policy decisions and program design.

"With this new initiative, the state will lead the nation in deliberative democracy, better ensuring decisions are centered on the people's voices," a statement from the governor said.

As part of the state's commitment to helping Los Angeles rebuild following the deadly wildfires, the pilot program is being launched now for survivors and the greater LA area.

"We're starting this effort by more directly involving Californians in the LA firestorm response and recovery. As we recover, reimagine, and rebuild Los Angeles, we will do it together," Newsom said.

How will the Engaged California program work?

The program is modeled after successful digital democracy efforts in Taiwan, Newsom's office said. It will focus on digital tools to help increase consensus-building and ultimately get Californians engaged.

Breakdown of how Engaged California will work:

• Californians are invited to engage, interact and share ideas to help shape government services
• The state gathers public input and ideas
• New government services and policies are created based on public input

Engaged California will encourage people to voice their concerns and ideas. The program also wants to improve policymakers' and administrators' efforts to be more responsive to the public's concerns, outside of election cycles.

"The launch of this program and our first deliberation will help us hear from the people we serve," said California Office of Data and Innovation Director Jeffery Marino. "Far from just a technical tool, this is an innovative approach to foster greater collaboration and co-creation between the people of California and their government."