The City of Carson has ranked second place in the nation among cities its size in innovative-technology driven government.
The Center for Digital Government, a national research and advisory institute, released its 2025 Digital Cities Survey revealing that Carson has led the way in California and across the United States in transforming government systems through smart and innovative technology.
“The City of Carson shines bright as the Jewel of the South Bay, and this number two ranking confirms our commitment to making technology work for everyone,” said Carson Mayor Lula Davis-Holmes. “Our promise is to serve all our residents and businesses—young and old—by leveraging technology while maintaining our tight-knit community interactions. With the vision set forth by the city council, our executive team in place and our finances on solid footing, there is no limit to what we can accomplish as we build a technologically advanced future for Carson.”
The 2025 Digital Cities Survey analyzes all cities in the country and evaluates the progress city governments are making in enhancing digital services to the community, transparency, cybersecurity, digital privacy rights and digital equity.
During the past year, the city has had numerous initiatives to provide accessibility and “digital equity” to the residents of Carson. Most notably, in September, the city official broke ground on a $27 million fiber optic network — the first investment in high-speed broadband for residents of its kind in the South Bay.
The network will provide internet and cable access to all Carson residents, businesses and public facilities in addition to providing free Wi-Fi to all of the city’s 12 parks.
Other technological advancements during the 2024-25 fiscal year include the launch of the official City of Carson app – Carson 311 – and an AI chatbot on the city website making it possible for residents to get help at any time.
“As a relatively small and mighty staff department compared to our peers, I’m delighted that our staff, consultants and vendors, along with the entire organization, have rallied behind our vision,” said Gary Carter, Carson’s director of IT and security. “I especially want to thank the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and Executive Team along with our IT staff for making this rapid transformation possible. We are setting the bar for how efficiently we execute and adopt technology, ensuring the community benefits our residents appreciate.”
Carson City Manager David Roberts Jr. noted that these technological advancements are a critical step in preparation for the 2026 World Cup and LA 2028 Olympics – global events where Carson will be a travel destination.
“Technology is central to our role as a global city,” Roberts said. “We are focused on significant advances in all city council priorities, including economic development, infrastructure and quality of Life, as we move toward supporting massive international events like the 2026 World Cup, LA 2028 Olympics and beyond, all while eliminating the digital divide right here in Carson.”