Attendance numbers of public meetings in San Francisco and Seattle are up, according to numbers provided by their broadcasting stations, as people obey stay-at-home orders and millions file for unemployment.

Jason Lally, formerly the city's open data program manager, is now heading data operations across the San Francisco government. In 2020, he says he wants to help contextualize open data so it's easier to use.

Former San Francisco technology officials Joy Bonaguro and Krista Canellakis are now leading projects for the state government.

A new smart-city ranking index listed just nine U.S. cities out of 102 globally, based on residents' perceptions of infrastructure and civic services.

Institutions seeking new ideas in government often fizzle out before their projects find solid footing. But their champions say that risk is the entry cost to realizing substantive change.

Recent bans of the surveillance technology are popping up around the country, but the consensus is that facial recognition will stick around.

Ten finalist cities will compete for three shares of a $200,000 cash prize for work with the public that makes a positive difference in their communities.

Linda Gerull, San Francisco's chief information officer, says technology will be an integral part of the future of government services.

Technology from Nordsense will be installed in city bins to monitor and analyze waste patterns for service optimization.