- Now – August 31, 2026
Voting Open
Community members vote on ideas submitted by their neighbors to surface the most promising proposals.
- October
Attend the Live Community Discussion
The most broadly supported ideas will be discussed by a demographically representative group of San Rafael residents. Participants will receive $100 in compensation for the 2 hour commitment.
- After the discussion
Bring it to leaders
The discussion produces a set of policy recommendations with broad public backing. Results are published openly and delivered to policymakers.
What do you want for San Rafael?
Vote on Ideas
Downtown San Rafael has great potential but lacks the inviting atmosphere of neighboring towns. Creating a more walkable, vibrant Main Street would encourage people to stay longer, boosting foot traffic and local businesses.
Ideas for Change is an independent platform for community members to identify the most promising ideas for improving San Rafael. The most broadly supported ideas will be discussed by residents and delivered to the Mayor.
Yes. The site is built to work with your web browser's built-in translation, so you can view the page in the language you prefer. In most browsers, right-click anywhere on the page (or open the browser menu) and choose Translate, then pick your language.
Unifying ideas are those that receive broad support across people with different backgrounds and political viewpoints. We use statistical methods to identify which ideas bring people together rather than divide them.
The most broadly supported ideas will be discussed by a representative group of San Rafael residents in a type of community meeting called a deliberation. The solutions that emerge from that discussion will be delivered to the mayor and other city leaders.
We encourage you to vote on lots of ideas to see what others in your community want to change. Each person gets one vote per idea.
No, you can only vote or add ideas on the device and web browser that you originally used. This helps keep voting accurate.
We are asking participants to provide a ZIP code to ensure that the ideas and vote come from San Rafael residents. We don't share your contact details, like your email, with the city.
Voting ends on August 31, 2026. After this date, the most supported ideas will be selected for discussion at a live deliberation.
No, Ideas for Change is an independent platform powered by Change.org. We are working with the Mayor's office to ensure that the community's best ideas are heard and considered for action.
You can tap a box so your name won't appear publicly next to your idea. We still collect the name, email, and ZIP code you provide. See our Terms of Use and Privacy Notice for how that information is used.
We offer a stipend to participants because meaningful participation takes time, preparation, and focused attention. In some communities, unpaid civic meetings can risk reflecting those who have the most flexibility to show up. Offering a stipend helps make participation feasible for residents with different schedules, responsibilities, and life circumstances. The stipend is the same for all participants and is not tied to opinions, agreement, or outcomes.
Yes. Please share your idea in whatever language you're most comfortable writing in — you don't need to write in English to take part. We translate it on the back end to English so that everyone reviewing ideas can read and engage with it. When we do, we add a short note showing that the idea was translated.
That note simply means the idea was originally written in another language and translated so more San Rafael residents could read it. It's there for transparency, not to single anyone out.