SANTA CRUZ — With the meteoric rise of artificial intelligence technology across practically all facets of American society in recent years, it comes as no surprise that local government workers are using it in their own professional capacities. But exactly how they use it remains a mystery that Santa Cruz County leaders have pledged to solve.
That was one of several key takeaways from a presentation that information technology department heads shared with the county Board of Supervisors Tuesday.
“While we have wide adoption, we have limited visibility,” said county Director of Information Services Tammie Weigl. “Usage is routine right now. It’s concentrated in a few general-purpose tools with broad productivity supports and we have strong consistent employee engagement. But what we can’t see right now is the specific use cases, the types of information that employees are entering in AI tools, how outputs are being reviewed and incorporated, and how there is consistent adherence to the 2023 appropriate use policy.”
Using an internal dashboard that captures web traffic to various AI tools, Weigl and her team logged 531,000 AI-related sessions across more than 2,200 unique users in fiscal year 2025-26 alone. The dashboard meant the county could identify which tools were most popular — such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude — but it couldn’t drill down on the specifics of what information was entered into the programs, what results were spit out and how that information was incorporated into the employee’s work.
Recognizing the problems this gap could create, Weigl and her team have developed the AI Elevation and Standardization Workplan, which was detailed at the board’s meeting. The primary goals of the plan, across varied timelines, include consolidation of county users within a unified, county-managed AI platform for security, oversight and cost purposes, establishing more widespread training and support, and launching a public chatbot on the county’s website.
The county plans to move quickly to implement this vision. Information services leaders have already considered many AI platforms to consolidate the workforce, with ChatGPT and Claude emerging as the finalists. Claude, Weigl noted, was the tool used to create the PowerPoint presentation she shared at the meeting.
Before the end of the year, the county aims to select a centralized AI platform, train 85% or more of the workforce in AI fundamentals and two operational automation tools for time-saving and quality improvement purposes, begin a phased rollout of a county internet chatbot and activate a governance framework with transparency reporting and a roadmap for 2027. This process includes the creation of an AI advisory subcommittee that reviews proposed initiatives, policy updates and responsible deployment.
According to county estimates, it costs $25 to $30 per user per month to license an AI platform. Using the county’s current log of at least 2,200 unique users, that would equate to a cumulative $55,000 to $60,000 monthly fee.
Weigl likened the current state of AI to the onset of email in the early 2000s, which began as a slow rollout and is now used by 95% of county workers. Weigl also emphasized that the intention of the workplan is not to replace county employees, but to eliminate mundane tasks so they can engage in the work that only a human can do.
“What we’re really focusing on is to replace tasks and not the human,” said Weigl. “We want to elevate the work so that people do have time to be able to work with constituents, produce work that is valuable and can really make a difference in our community.”
As the AI boom began sweeping the nation in 2023, the board established a workgroup that developed an Artificial Intelligence Appropriate Use policy for county workers that encouraged use of the burgeoning technology while establishing ethical and best practice standards. But AI tools have evolved and been adopted by county staff so quickly that county administrative leaders think it’s time to reevaluate and implement necessary updates proposed in the workplan.
Evan Ditmars, who works within county Community Development and Infrastructure, said he hoped the board would consider “the full weight” of the workplan and wants the board to remain committed to the principles of data privacy, informed consent and responsible use.
“My hope is that, as this program is implemented, that AI remains a tool that improves the employee quality of life and improves service and is not just a monitoring tool,” said Ditmars.
Ditmars also shared concerns that the subcommittee would be created after important decisions had already been made, including county worker contract negotiations and curriculum development. Emily Fontana, an internal organizer within the county’s union, SEIU Local 521, said it’s important that AI be used as a tool and nothing more.
“We just want to make sure that labor is not outsourced to technology,” said Fontana.
Supervisors Justin Cummings and Kim De Serpa both expressed support for putting the subcommittee together sooner and Weigl said she’d try to do so, despite resource and training constraints. Both supervisors also spoke about how frustrating it can be navigating through AI-assisted custom support channels at private companies, implicitly stating that they do not want county services to meet a similar fate.
Weigl clarified that the proposed chatbot would only be for searching the county’s website and that a voice AI service provider was not in the county’s plans as of now.
Cummings stressed the need to use AI that only complements the institutional knowledge the county’s workforce already has.
County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn jumped in to underscore her vision for how AI technology can be responsibly implemented.
“We have a lot of tools in the county to help us do our work and we see it as helping us with those more redundant and time-intensive tasks to be able to free up staff to work on the problem solving and to tackle all of the issues we face,” she said. “We really value human connection and we want to be able to use staff to their highest and best use. It’s another tool to help us do that.”
Supervisor Manu Koenig suggested AI tools could be used to better facilitate high-friction processes, such as planning permit evaluation, and he liked the idea of launching a chatbot to help residents navigate county services.
Asked by Supervisor Felipe Hernandez if the chatbot will be available in different languages, Weigl confirmed it would.
One issue that wasn’t raised during the board’s discussion was the impact that AI data centers have on the environment. AI programs rely on information stored in data centers, which are powered by massive amounts of electricity and water that is needed to keep them cool. According to reports by the Associated Press, data centers accounted for about 4.6% of electricity use across the country in 2024 and that share could double by 2028. Larger centers can consume as much as 5 million gallons of water per day, which is about the same demand as a town of 50,000 people.
The Sentinel asked Weigl if the energy demands associated with AI technology conflicted with the county’s greenhouse gas reduction goals, and she replied that a useful way to mitigate these impacts is by making sure county workers are utilizing the appropriate program for the task they’re working on.
“Certain tools generate more (computer use) than other tools,” said Weigl. “It’s like, you wouldn’t use a sledgehammer to put a nail in. … That is part of the training we’ll be providing.”