OpenPublica for public affairs & policy research

Compare local policy discussions.

OpenPublica helps you search recent and historical city council and other public meeting records in covered cities. Compare how cities discuss a policy question while keeping each source in context.

Search summaries and available transcripts. Ask AI research questions and open the supporting meeting records.

Search policy discussionsSee the workflow

Public meetings are free to browse. No account needed.

Cross-city evidence board

One question: how is housing policy discussed?

City AFind relevant meetingsRead local contextKeep source links
City BFind relevant meetingsRead local contextKeep source links
Before drawing a conclusionDiscussion ≠ adopted policy

Check the vote and official text.

Illustrative example. A research workflow, not a live record.

From a question to the record.

  1. 1

    Use a common topic

    Search a policy term, then narrow by city, date and meeting body.

  2. 2

    Compare the context

    Read relevant transcripts and earlier meetings to understand local concerns.

  3. 3

    Build the brief

    Keep a meeting link beside each finding in your comparison.

Does a match mean the policy passed?

Check recorded votes and official adopted text before describing a policy as enacted.

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Keep your policy research close.

Return to the city records behind your comparison.

Followed cities
Bring the cities you compare into one feed.
Saved searches
Keep a policy search for each city.
In-app alerts
Choose alerts for new matching records.

Up to 10 cities and 10 saved searches. One city per search.

Coverage and transcripts vary. Verify findings against recordings and official records.