Los Angeles

United States

Mayor

Eric Garcetti

Population

3,990,000 (2017)

Lead Innovation Officer

Amanda Daflos

Innovation is helping to:
  • Improve internal government operations

  • Improve service delivery

  • Generate new sources of revenue

  • Engage residents and other stakeholders

Critical success factors:
  • Dedicated funding

  • Focus on measurement

  • Dedicated innovation team

  • Leadership from Mayor

  • Culture of innovation in city

Spotlight on innovation in Los Angeles

Los Angeles is very advanced when it comes to the use of data in LA. The strong leadership commitment coming from the Mayor plays a key role as he has been a strong promoter of innovation and his office is at the forefront of driving creative programs and responses in the city. There is a Data Team, an Innovation Team (i-team), a Procurement Team, among others. Other departments are starting to add innovation teams to their existing structures. An example of a good practice is the development of the Pledge to Patrol program by the i-team, allowing the Police Department to launch a paid apprenticeship program for young people who are interested in a career in the LAPD by leveraging data on performance, success rates and progress.

Note: The City Innovation Snapshot (PDF version) was produced in 2019 and some aggregate findings have been updated with the latest survey results below.

Vision and approach to innovation capacity

Along with 50% of cities surveyed, Los Angeles does not have an explicit innovation strategy. Similar to more than half of cities surveyed, Los Angeles approaches innovation capacity both from a holistic/macro level, as well as in specific policy areas.

Policy areas that Los Angeles is focused on

Policing and law enforcement
Housing
Future of work
Policy areas by number of cities

Los Angeles utilizes 6 different innovation skills or roles

Project manager
Data scientist
Designer
Engineer
Communication officer
Community engagement staff
Innovation roles by number of cities

Situated in the Mayor’s office, Los Angeles’s dedicated team for innovation consists of 12 staff.

Terms Los Angeles most associates with innovation

Big picture re-thinking
Problem solving and project delivery

Los Angeles' most common innovation activities

Taking risks and testing new ideas
e.g. prototyping new programs or models to address a persistent city challenge
Promoting data-driven analytics / public data management
e.g. data storage/analytics; open data; big data
Developing new solutions based on digital technologies
e.g. use of drones or smart sensors
  1. 1

    Taking risks or testing new ideas

  2. 2

    Data-driven analytics/public data management

  3. 3

    Engaging residents in new ways

  4. 4

    Developing new solutions based on digital technologies

  5. 5

    Organizational change within the municipality

  6. 6

    Human-centered design

  7. 7

    Rethinking your city’s approach to financing partnerships

Its innovation activities also include engaging residents in new ways and facilitating organizational change within the municipal administration.

How is innovation funded here?

Like 81% of cities surveyed, Los Angeles has dedicated funding to support innovation capacity.

Top sources of funding

Municipal budget
operating budget
Municipal budget
This could include, for instance, City Council approved funds; operating budget; a special funding process (bond, Mayoral special initiative funding, etc.); and participatory budgeting / citizen-selected budgeting.

Activities being funded

Launching or sustaining a project
Idea generation & brainstorming
47 cities
Launching or sustaining a project
79 cities
Idea generation & brainstorming
51 cities
Investing in digital systems
36 cities
Investing in physical infrastructure
30 cities
Paying for services

How is innovation measured?

Los Angeles has developed partnerships to promote its innovation capacity with other public agencies, private firms, and not-for-profit organizations.

To improve data use, the city has also developed data partnerships with the private sector, academia, think tanks, and philanthropy to collect and analyze data, as well as with other cities.

Data availability by policy area

15

No Response

Transport/Mobility

Economic Development

Housing and built environment

Policing and law enforcement

Health

Water

Waste and sewage

Labour market and skills

Environment and climate change

Education

Culture

Social inclusion and equity

Public works

Tourism

Digital governance