FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT
Chelsea Palacio, Public Information Manager, Information Technology Department
408-406-5723;
Chelsea.Palacio@sanjoseca.gov
San José Launches Citywide Data Strategy to Improve Services, Promote Equity, and Support Innovation
SAN JOSE, Calif. (June 5, 2025) – The City of San José launched its first
Citywide Data Strategy. This three-year plan guides how the City collects, manages, and uses data to improve public services, promote equity, and support responsible innovation.
At the core of the strategy are three foundational principles:
- Data as a Service (DaaS): Makes it easier for departments to access, share, and use high-quality data to improve service coordination and reduce duplication.
- Communities of Practice: Trains staff across departments in data skills and creates shared standards to support teamwork and innovation.
- Measuring Impact: Updates how the City tracks performance and connects services with outcomes that matter to the public.
"This strategy helps us do what matters most – better serve our community,” said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. “By using data more effectively, we have more impactful discussions with our residents, respond faster to their needs, and make decisions that lead to real, measurable outcomes in every neighborhood."
The strategy outlines a step-by-step approach to modernizing data use across the City services and departments. It supports key priorities like homelessness response, performance-based budgeting, and responsible use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), with a strong emphasis on privacy, equity, and cross-departmental collaboration.
“San José is building the digital foundation for the future of local government,” said Mayor Matt Mahan. “Thanks to the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, we’re turning data into action to better serve every resident.”
The first step includes the Resident Impact Data Project to uncover and better understand the City’s data challenges of collecting, analyzing and using data to enhance service delivery; and the Homelessness Data Consolidation Project, which aims to improve coordination across departments who work to reduce unsheltered homelessness. Over time, the Citywide Data Strategy will expand to guide decisions across all
six City Service Areas, including Transportation, Public Safety, and Neighborhood Services.
San José developed the strategy as part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance, which helps cities use data to inform decisions and improve results for residents.
“With this new citywide data strategy, San José demonstrates its commitment to leveraging data to improve the lives of its residents,” says Latricia Boone, Senior Director of Partnerships and Strategy for the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence, which leads the City Data Alliance’s accelerator program, providing executive education, individualized city coaching, and technical assistance. “Through greater data sharing across departments, investing in upskilling of its workforce, and the building a strong system for measuring progress, San José is applying leading global practices to build a more effective, data-driven government that is able to respond more effectively to the needs of its community.”
“This strategy moves us from working in silos to working smarter - together,” said Khaled Tawfik, Chief Information Officer and Director of Information Technology Department for the City of San José. “By strengthening our data infrastructure and training staff across the organization, we can approach challenges with a holistic perspective, enabling more measurable, nimble, innovative, and accountable operations that directly enhance how services are delivered to our residents.”
More information about the City’s Data Strategy can be found at
Data Strategy and Governance webpage.
About the City of San José
With almost 1 million residents, San José is one of the most diverse large cities in the United States and is Northern California’s largest city and the 12th largest city in the nation. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center has resulted in one of the largest concentrations of technology companies and expertise in the world.
About the Information Technology Department
The Information Technology Department enables the delivery of innovative, secure, and reliable technology services to support the residents, businesses, and mission of the City of San José. As a leader in civic innovation and digital equity, the department is committed to delivering services that are equitable, accessible, and driven by community needs.
About The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance
The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance helps mayors and their municipalities utilize data to inform decisions, tackle complex challenges, communicate results, and look ahead. Participating cities also receive the program’s support to upgrade their approach to artificial intelligence, program evaluation, or data as a service—designing or packaging data that promotes cross-government collaboration or resident engagement. The Bloomberg Philanthropies City Data Alliance is delivered in partnership with the Bloomberg Center for Government Excellence (GovEx) at Johns Hopkins University, along with the Behavioral Insights Team and Public Digital. The City Data Alliance aligns and builds on the success of the Bloomberg Philanthropies What Works Cities Certification, led by Results for America, a first-of-its-kind standard of excellence for data-informed, well-managed local government. Further advancing data leadership in cities, in October 2023, Bloomberg Philanthropies and GovEx launched City AI Connect, a global learning community and digital platform for cities to trial and advance the usage of generative artificial intelligence to improve public services, together. Comprised of more than 700 municipal leaders from over 250 cities around the world, City AI Connect is available at no cost for any local government official to use.
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