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Sustainable Preservation: California’s Statewide Historic Preservation Plan, 2013-2017

While the first online survey was being conducted, OHP staff conducted interviews (in
person and over the phone) with specific members of the California preservation
community. A list of the people who were interviewed is included in Appendix A. During
the course of these interviews, it became apparent to the team that some of the questions
asked of the interviewees might also be of interest to others who couldn’t be interviewed
due to staff resource and time constraints.
For this reason, a second online survey was conducted using those interview questions that
appeared to garner the most substantial and enthusiastic/impassioned responses from the
interviewees. This second survey, which invited only narrative, qualitative responses, was
made available from December 19, 2011, to January 15, 2012. A total of 64 people
responded to some or all of the questions asked in the second online survey. The
questions asked in the second online survey are available in Appendix A.

In addition to these efforts, three meetings of the State Historical Resources Commission
provided further opportunity for commissioners, and members of the general public in
attendance, to voice opinions about the direction of the plan. In October 2011, the
Commission discussed the team’s suggested general approach to the plan’s goals—using
an early version of the graphic provided on page 13 of this plan. Then, in January 2012, the
Commission discussed a draft set of goals and objectives based on the general approach
presented to them in October. These draft goals and objectives were revised based on
feedback from the Commissioners and were made available on the Office of Historic
Preservation’s website (and “advertised” through an email blast to close to 600 individuals
and organizations) for public comment from February 13 through March 20, 2012. Five
individuals phoned the OHP to discuss the goals and objectives, but other than this, there
were no formal comments submitted about the draft goals and objectives.

A draft of the plan was released for public comment on July 2, 2012. It was open for
comments until August 1. No substantive comments were received during this period,
although a few individuals and one local historic preservation commission wrote to the
OHP in support of the draft plan, noting that it was “visionary” and supporting the plan’s
“much-needed emphasis on broadening the audience for, and involvement in,
preservation.” The State Historical Resources Commission then reviewed and discussed
the draft plan and comments received from the public at their meeting of August 3, 2012.
All of these public outreach efforts were announced as widely as possible, and the OHP
took steps to ensure information reached both traditional and non-traditional preservation
partners such as tribes, elected officials, state and federal agencies, developers, regional
planning agencies, energy companies, community groups, and environmental
organizations. All opportunities for public comment were announced to the OHP’s email list
of approximately 600 individuals and organizations, and this email list includes many
organizations that would not normally be considered part of the preservation community,
such as planning and development agencies, religious groups, youth organizations,
recreationalists and recreation providers, land conservancies, and developer and realtor
groups. In addition to the OHP’s email list, various agencies and organizations were asked
to share the information with their employees or members through their own email blasts,
newsletters, and websites. The OHP also used the opportunity of updating the State Plan
to create a presence on a variety of social media sites, most importantly Facebook and
Twitter. All the opportunities for public comment listed above were announced and
promoted through the Office’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.

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