Seaside launches Boards and Commissions education and engagement initiative to boost representation

The Seaside City Clerk presented a comprehensive Boards and Commissions Education and Engagement Initiative during the Sept. 4 council meeting aimed at increasing civic participation and diversifying appointees.

City Clerk Dominique Davis described five components: an education/onboarding module for commissioners, a public awareness campaign with multilingual materials, quarterly civic information sessions, application modernization (simplifying forms and adding explainer videos), and a public-facing equity dashboard to track representation metrics. “The goal of this initiative is to begin addressing these gaps proactively while building a culture of engagement and trust,” Davis said.

Davis said early outreach and evaluation indicate underrepresentation among renters, young adults and BIPOC residents. She proposed co‑creating training materials with commission chairs and staff liaisons and launching the program with baseline data by the start of fiscal year 2026–27, with a council update planned for Jan. 15, 2026.

Council members welcomed the plan and asked for specific content for chairs. Councilmember Miller highlighted the need for short, practical videos covering Brown Act basics, meeting procedure and chair responsibilities; Davis confirmed those topics are included. Mayor Pro Tem Pacheco and others asked that current commissioners be engaged directly and invited to initial sessions so they feel part of the initiative; Davis said the rollout will include existing commissioners and chairs.

Councilmember Burks, who requested the initiative earlier in the year, and other council members praised the program’s emphasis on multilingual outreach, youth engagement, and measurement. The city clerk said interns from CSUMB would help produce social content and that the team would peer-review options for building the equity dashboard (internally or via vendor) before launching public-facing metrics in September.

No formal council vote was required at the presentation; the clerk requested feedback and said staff would return with a progress update and timelines as components are deployed.