ARTICLE 4. The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications [8415. - 8422.]

Cal. Government Code - GOV 4.

in effect

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8415. Section 8415.

(a) It is the intent of the Legislature that through the creation of a single state entity to coordinate California’s most important statewide public awareness and community outreach campaigns, the state can realize more inclusive and effective outcomes while preventing equity gaps in statewide outreach. The office will use data-driven decisions to help the state make more informed resource allocations, targeted strategies, and rapid response efforts to better serve Californians, as well as help remove or reduce barriers that many small, community-based organizations face when attempting to partner with the state. (b) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (1) California is a uniquely diverse state that is home to a multitude of different communities with various needs and perspectives. The state’s diversity and size likewise present unique challenges in the statewide communication of critical information and resources in a timely and equitable manner. (2) In light of the unprecedented scale of the challenges that California has faced in recent years and continues to face today, the state must be able to coordinate and communicate effectively with the full range of communities that it serves, particularly with those who are experiencing the greatest health and social inequities. (3) The state must incorporate the lessons learned from recent statewide public education campaigns into future efforts if the state intends to effectively reach and engage Californians, including those experiencing the greatest health and social inequities. (4) The creation of a single entity to coordinate the highest priority statewide public information and outreach campaigns can ensure that the state is more inclusive, equitable, coordinated, and effective in its most important communication efforts. Likewise, such an entity can serve to help reduce or remove barriers to entry that many small, community-based organizations face when attempting to partner with the state in these efforts. Similarly, such an entity can help inform and implement best practices for engaging media specializing in non-English language and culturally resonant content. (5) It is the intent of the Legislature that the creation of the office within the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement will serve not only to streamline partnership efforts with community-based organizations and media throughout the state, but also to use data-informed decisions to help prevent and address equity gaps in statewide outreach, resource allocations, targeted strategies, and rapid response efforts. (6) Work at the state level to coordinate high-priority public information and outreach campaigns is not intended to be a substitute for, and should be done in coordination with, similar efforts by cities, counties, cities and counties, and other governments.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8416. Section 8416.

As used in this article: (a) “Community-based organizations” means a public or private nonprofit organization of demonstrated effectiveness that represents a community or significant segments of a community and provides support and services to individuals in the community. (b) “Executive officer” means the individual who manages the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications. The executive officer shall be appointed by the Governor and shall report to the director. (c) “Intermediary” means a third-party governmental or private entity contracted by the office to perform grant and fund management and other services as required to manage and provide resources to the community-based organizations. (d) “Office” means the Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8417. Section 8417.

The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications is hereby continued in existence in the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8418. Section 8418.

Under the direction of the director, the executive officer shall initiate and execute campaigns related to the state’s highest priority public awareness and community outreach efforts.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8419. Section 8419.

(a) The Office of Community Partnerships and Strategic Communications is hereby established as an office within the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement. (b) The office shall serve as the manager of the state’s highest priority public awareness and community outreach efforts. In this role, the office shall do all of the following: (1) Work with local community-based organizations and other partners statewide to engage Californians, including those experiencing the greatest health and social inequities, with culturally competent and relevant information with the goal of improving the quality of their lives and livelihoods. Similarly, work with media, including smaller outlets and platforms that reach these audiences. (2) Work in partnership with select state entities to develop and execute multiple public awareness and outreach efforts simultaneously. (3) Develop and support a network of community-based organizations, philanthropic organizations, and other partners to support the office’s core mission and goals. (4) Create funding programs and opportunities that support both state and community outreach and communication needs and interests. (5) Serve as a key informational resource to assist community-based organizations, local governments, philanthropic organizations, and other partners in obtaining relevant information from state entities as well as to share community insights and information with state partners related to campaigns overseen by the office. (6) Collaborate with state agencies to review state contracting options for community-based organizations, philanthropic organizations, and other partners. (7) Leverage and, as relevant, institutionalize the infrastructure, work, and lessons learned from the 2020 federal decennial census and COVID-19 public awareness and community engagement campaigns. (8) Leverage the unique structure, expertise, relationships and powers of the Governor’s Office of Service and Community Engagement to more effectively achieve the goals and mission of the office.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8420. Section 8420.

(a) In the selection of its awareness and outreach campaigns, the office shall consider all of the following criteria: (1) “Equity,” meaning the ability to target audiences that include Californians who are disproportionately impacted or experience the greatest health and social inequities. (2) “Data-informed decisions,” meaning respective agencies and departments that have or can provide issue-specific data to inform strategy and evaluation. (3) “Actionable areas,” meaning issues that have the opportunity to provide reliable and actionable information and resources that can empower impacted communities. (4) “Risk severity and urgency,” meaning issues that present a threat or concern to the lives and livelihoods of the target audience. (5) “Cross-agency coordination,” meaning issues that require coordination and collaboration across multiple agencies or departments. (6) “Outcomes,” meaning issues that have clear, measurable goals. (7) “Emergent matters,” meaning responsiveness to urgent, new, and emerging issues, including one-time investments. (b) The office shall create and post on a publicly available internet website guidelines for an award of funds made under any appropriation of funds to the office for community partnerships or strategic communications.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8421. Section 8421.

(a) As part of its core objective of managing the state’s highest priority public awareness and community outreach efforts, and as informed by any guidelines and practices developed by it, the office shall prioritize streamlining partnerships between community-based organizations and the state, including identifying and working with state partners to eliminate barriers and structural challenges that may prevent community-based organizations from being able to engage in, and benefit from, partnerships with the state. (b) In accordance with any adopted guidelines and criteria, the office shall administer, manage, and award grants to support the state’s public awareness and community outreach efforts. To implement this section, the office may do any of the following: (1) Provide technical assistance for application preparation. (2) Contract with an intermediary or third party to administer technical and financial assistance programs for the disbursement of grants and loans to support the state’s public awareness and community outreach efforts. (3) Allow for the subgranting of awarded grants. (4) Advance public-private partnerships with philanthropic organizations and coordinate with those partners to augment state public awareness and community outreach efforts.

Cal. Government Code - GOV § 8422. Section 8422.

State agencies and departments collaborating with the office, upon request, shall share relevant data and statistical information that may improve the efficacy of current or future outreach efforts.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026