Pacific Grove outlines expanded communications program as residents push for more transparency

Deputy City Manager Joyce Halaby told the Pacific Grove City Council on Jan. 20 that the city has moved from decentralized, reactive outreach to a coordinated communications program, citing large increases in social engagement and newsletter performance.

"In that quarter we had a total of 78,000 views. In the last quarter alone we've had 1,800,000 views," Halaby said, attributing the gain to a regular posting cadence, new formats such as short videos and carousels, and a cross-department content calendar. She also said newsletter opens rose from about 13% to 24% after the city reduced the newsletter cadence to once a month and reorganized content by topical sections rather than by department.

The presentation emphasized three channels where the city focused its recent work: social media (Instagram and Facebook), the city manager's newsletter, and the official website. Halaby highlighted new features — a social media aggregator on the website, an e-notify subscription tool (about 989 subscriptions, a 36% increase), and a tracker for performance and content planning.

Public reaction was mixed. Caller Inga Lawrence criticized the timing and tone of the materials, saying the PowerPoint was emailed the same day and characterizing the graphics-focused approach as marketing rather than transparent public information: "If you're trying to be transparent...why wasn't it posted with the agenda?" resident Inga Lawrence said. Resident Andy Kubica said the charts arrived only in the afternoon and that many residents received no notice of the meeting.

Other residents praised the changes. Jessica Denicore and another caller said they had learned more about local services through Instagram and Facebook posts and found the graphics informative. Council members acknowledged both the progress and the remaining gaps: they urged staff to expand non-digital outreach for people who do not use social media, to consider text-based emergency alerts, and to make presentations available earlier when possible.

Halaby and councilors agreed to keep working on improvements. Council discussion touched on emergency-notification needs (including the idea of an opt-in text-alert system or a small call list for at-risk residents) and the cost trade-offs of printed mailers versus digital outreach. The council also suggested adding clearer signposting for project- or neighborhood-level updates so residents know when and how to provide input.

The study session concluded with staff noting that the presentation materials and the e-notify subscription page are posted on the city website and that staff will continue to refine channels, explore Nextdoor and print outreach, and promote signups at in-person community events.