Stockton, CA – The San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors has approved an agreement with technology and consulting company GovPath to improve the County’s permitting process, helping residents receive faster responses and making it easier to move projects from application to approval.
The agreement will provide the County with additional technical expertise and support to improve the performance of its existing digital permitting system, address outstanding issues and reduce application backlogs.
“We’ve heard from residents who are frustrated when a simple home project can take months to move through the permitting process,” said Board Chair and Third District Supervisor Sonny Dhaliwal. “Bringing in GovPath will help us address the problems that are slowing down the current system and deliver a faster, more responsive permitting experience.”
In 2024, the County’s Information Systems Division (ISD), in partnership with the Community Development, Public Works, Environmental Health and Treasurer-Tax Collector departments, implemented the cloud-based Accela Civic Application to create a centralized digital platform for permitting and related services.
GovPath will augment ISD staff with specialized consulting and technical support to strengthen the County’s management of the Accela system. This includes establishing a new governance structure for system changes, prioritizing improvements that can reduce outstanding issues and backlogs, and identifying and implementing new features that can make the permitting process easier and more efficient for the public.
“Our focus is on making the permitting process work better for the people who rely on it,” said ISD Director Tristian Cormier. “Our assessment identified opportunities to strengthen how the system was implemented, managed and supported. GovPath will provide the additional expertise and capacity we need to address outstanding issues and improve system performance.”
“We need to think from a customer’s perspective,” said Vice Chair and Fourth District Supervisor Steve Ding. “We need to make this as user friendly, time efficient, and as affordable as possible. Time is money.”
The County’s contract with GovPath runs through September 2027 at a cost of $354,000.
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