Transparent And Inclusive: Residents See Redwood City Improve, But Housing Costs Still Hurt

REDWOOD CITY, CA — Redwood City residents are increasingly satisfied with how their local government communicates and includes the community, but remain deeply concerned about housing affordability and cost of living, according to the city’s latest biennial community survey.

The 2025 Community Satisfaction Survey, conducted by polling firm Polco/National Research Center, drew 280 responses from a randomly selected mail sample, supplemented by an open online survey.

Results were weighted to match city demographics and benchmarked against about 400 communities nationwide and a custom group of California cities.

Survey researchers told the council that ratings for several aspects of city governance improved significantly compared to the previous survey, including honesty, acting in the community’s best interest, openness and transparency and informing residents about issues.

“So many people in our staff worked so many hours to go above and beyond,” said Vice Mayor Kaia Eakin. “We see it, and it's so gratifying to see that the community sees it.”

Council members highlighted those gains as evidence that years of work on outreach and communication are paying off.

“I just think it's the persistence of our staff and our council and the people who work in this building to try and do the very best that they can,” said Councilmember Diane Howard. “It really is reflected in this and I think we should be very proud of that, not cocky. We need to improve. We always need to improve.”

Survey results also showed high ratings for inclusivity and diversity, with measures like “valuing and respecting residents from diverse backgrounds” and “openness and acceptance” scoring above both national and California benchmarks.

At the same time, only about 14–16 percent of respondents rated cost of living and the availability of affordable quality housing positively.

Staff said the survey will help shape upcoming budget and policy decisions, particularly around mobility, housing, and public safety, and will continue to be conducted every two years to track long‑term trends. Residents report greater satisfaction with city communication and transparency, but housing affordability remains a significant hurdle.