Data-driven stories
from local government
We analyze transcripts, votes, and records from 3,000+ city halls to uncover what’s really happening in local democracy.
Forty-Seven Million Words
2,588 meetings. 93 government bodies. 5,108 hours. We transcribed every public meeting Austin held in five years—the most passionate debates produced the most lopsided votes.
The Bill Comes Due
108,394 votes. 25 years. Pittsburgh’s council agreed on 97% of everything—then fractured over property taxes, housing, and who pays for a city that deferred hard choices for two decades.
The City That Won’t Agree
142 cities. 8.1 million votes. Ann Arbor’s council has the highest dissent rate in America—and it’s been that way for seventeen years.
Through the Fog
33 datasets. 19.5 million rows. 1,310 meeting transcripts. A data-driven autopsy of San Francisco’s pandemic crisis and the question everyone’s asking: is the turnaround real?
Five Futures for Oakland
$94K median incomes. A $360M deficit. 342 missing officers. An interactive simulation of the trade-offs Oakland faces over the next decade.
The Data Center Gold Rush
156 cities. 2,847 meetings. Where will America's digital infrastructure live—and who gets to decide?
The Abundance Index
Which cities welcome growth and which fight it? 84 cities ranked by their openness to housing development.
The Vote Tracker
1,524 local officials. 25,219 recorded votes. See who's voting yes—and who's blocking progress.
Temperature Check
438 cities. Millions of public comments. How contentious is your local government?
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