PRESS RELEASE

Above: Director Lea Eriksen accepts award on behalf of City of Long Beach, alongside 
Vice Mayor Roberto Uranga and Harry Black, Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government,
at a recently held awards ceremony.

Long Beach, CA – The City of Long Beach has been recognized as the first-place Top Digital City for its population size in the Center for Digital Government’s (CDG) 2025 Digital Cities Survey. The survey is conducted annually and evaluates how cities nationwide use technology to advance city goals, operations and services to the community. This is the first time since the creation of the survey in 2001 that any city in any population category nationwide has ranked first for five consecutive years, and the 15th consecutive year that Long Beach has been recognized as a Top 10 Digital City.

“Last year, we became the first city to be recognized as a Top Digital City for four consecutive years, and this year we are proud to add on to that record,” said Mayor Rex Richardson. “This continued success is a testament to our outstanding work in creating a city that uses technology and data-informed solutions to maximize our collective impact, as well as our ability to serve, understand, engage with and meet the needs of our community.”

Now in its 25th year, the annual Digital Cities Survey recognizes cities nationwide that utilize technology to tackle social challenges, enhance services, explore Artificial Intelligence (AI) and strengthen cyber security, among other initiatives. It honors cities in five population classifications, with Long Beach assigned to the 250,000 to 499,999 population category.

The City continues to be an industry leader in government technology because of its forward-thinking and strategic technology vision, emphasis on making technology accessible to all residents, and its fundamental role in enhancing how Long Beach functions.

This year’s Top Digital City designation was based on the City’s progress through the following key initiatives, which prioritize equity, enhancing digital services, increasing community participation and cyber security in service delivery:

• Developed TID28, a four-year Strategic Roadmap that outlines a clear and achievable vision, principles, strategic focus and implementation roadmap for the City to achieve readiness for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games and align with the City’s 2030 Strategic Vision.
• Developed a new online hub for local emergency updates. Originally developed in response to the Los Angeles County wildfires in January 2025, the hub provided real-time updates concerning air quality, health advisories, evacuation information, impacts to City services and information call centers.
• Launched several high-impact public webpages to centralize critical updates in response to growing uncertainty around federal funding and immigration enforcement. These include the Federal Funding Updates webpage that keeps the community informed about ongoing developments related to the loss and possible future loss of federal funding and its impact on local programs the City provides, as well as the Immigration Information and Resources webpage that connects the community, especially vulnerable residents, to local support.
• Continued implementation of innovative pilots through Pitch Long Beach!, a technology program designed for solution providers to propose innovative ideas to the City. One pilot, in partnership with smart restroom provider Throne Labs, added four Throne units in high-demand locations across the city, one of which is the top three busiest units in the nation.
• Spearheaded a series of citywide community workshops focused on data privacy to initiate discussions and learn more about the challenges residents face in protecting their data. These events aligned with the City’s Digital Inclusion Initiative to enhance digital skills, help residents protect their personal data, learn the rights granted to them by the California Consumer Privacy Act and foster greater understanding of how municipal technology systems function and utilize new technology.
• Implemented the second iteration of Long Beach Collaboratory, a civic technology program that pairs community members with City staff to co-design and implement solutions to pressing city challenges while building resident trust towards in government. Twelve community members received a $4,000 stipend to address three civic challenges: addressing public safety in key commercial corridors, providing services to vulnerable populations, and activating privately-owned vacant lots.
• Expanded the annual cyber security awareness training for City staff, including the creation of original training videos, and introduced a continuous phishing training program that provides real-time feedback to staff reporting phishing attempts, reinforcing positive behavior and improving the City’s cyber resilience.
• Implemented a Professional Development Plan initiative for Technology and Innovation Department (TID) employees, investing in employee growth and building leadership capacity necessary to meet evolving citywide demands. In its first year, the initiative has shown to improve employee engagement, clarify career pathways and support TID's ability to manage a skilled, motivated workforce.
• Enhanced digital inclusion citywide by partnering with the California Emerging Technology Fund to launch the Internet Service Enrollment Line, a multilingual hotline, available in English, Spanish, Khmer, and Tagalog, that assists residents in overcoming barriers around telehealth, job opportunities and online learning. The City also released two additional digital inclusion resources: an updated Digital Inclusion Resource Guide, available in all English, Spanish, Khmer and Tagalog, and a Digital Inclusion Resources Asset Map that encourages residents and organizations to locate nearby services for internet access, device distribution and digital skills training.
• Launched Perform Long Beach, a citywide performance management initiative to strengthen data skills and improve how data is used to manage public programs across all departments.

“I’m proud of our team’s leadership and collaboration across the City that have made this fifth consecutive Top Digital City award possible,” said Technology and Innovation Department Director, Lea Eriksen. “Their commitment to innovation and public service continues to make Long Beach a national leader in digital government.” 

“What stands out this year isn’t just the technology, it’s the focus on the impact on constituent services,” said Teri Takai, Chief Programs Officer at the Center for Digital Government. “These cities are applying innovation where it matters most: keeping people housed, making streets safer, and building community trust. They’re showing that when technology is guided by purpose, it delivers results that citizens can feel.”

The CDG is a national research and advisory institute focused on information technology policies and best practices in state and local government. The CDG is a division of e.Republic, a national publishing, event, and research company focused on smart media for public sector innovation.  The complete list of this year’s winners is available on the CDG website.

About the City of Long Beach  
Long Beach is nestled along the Southern California coast and home to approximately 466,000 people. As an award-winning full-service charter city, Long Beach offers the amenities of a metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual and diverse neighborhoods, culture, and community. With a bustling downtown and over six miles of scenic beaches, Long Beach is a renowned tourist and business destination and home to the iconic Queen Mary, nationally recognized Aquarium of the Pacific and Long Beach Airport, award-winning Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center and world-class Port of Long Beach.

For more information about the City of Long Beach, visit longbeach.gov/. Follow us on social to keep up with the latest news: Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube. To learn more about Technology and Innovation, visit: longbeach.gov/ti.