Victorville City PIO staff say social media keeps them 'always on'

Victorville City's Public Information Office staff told a city-produced podcast that the continuous pace of municipal communications can make it difficult to respond in depth to every resident inquiry.

Sue Jones, public information officer for Victorville City, said one of the challenges of municipal communications is that “the city never closes” and “social media never turns off,” requiring staff to set personal boundaries to avoid burnout.

Jones said the office is small—“comprised of 3 people”—and that being available outside normal business hours is sometimes unavoidable when residents report urgent issues or when infrastructure problems arise.

Elena Falcon, identified in the episode as the communication assistant, said her least favorite part of the job is not being able to respond to everyone with comprehensive answers on social media because it is time consuming and responses can get buried amid other comments.

Despite the workload, Jones said the office has found ways to produce content efficiently: much of the podcast and video production is done in‑house by a team member with film training, keeping recurring costs low. The office also prioritizes communications using a calendar tied to strategic goals and shifts priorities when public‑safety needs arise (for example, promoting cooling centers during a heat wave).

The episode did not specify budget line items, overtime policies or plans to expand staffing; those details were not provided.