Helping a City educate residents on the benefits of street sweeping

Role

Public Outreach, Marketing

Industry

Government

The City of Salinas' ("City") street sweeping program is an essential ground control strategy to recover pollutants from roads and rights-of-way before they can enter the storm drain system. The City recognized that a significant increase in the amount of debris removed from the streets by sweeping would translate to much greater removal of pollutants that would otherwise be transported by urban runoff to local creeks and rivers.

Challenge

In 2022, the City determined that to facilitate better implementation of the "No Parking" street sweeping signage program, the City needed to perform community education, outreach, and engagement to ensure the community is informed of the upcoming implementation of this program and the benefits to water quality this program provides.

In January 2023, the City Council approved a contract with CPRA Strategies to implement a community education and outreach program addressing "No Parking" street sweeping signage. In 2024 and 2025, the City renewed the contract to continue outreach.

Solution

After the contract award, CPRA met with City staff to discuss priority tactics and the timing of the education and outreach campaign. Within the first few weeks of the contract and through a series of meetings, CPRA and City staff finalized the campaign's direction, key community-based organization and stakeholders, and overall program timeline. The plan focused on the following areas:

  • Direct Community Outreach and Engagement Strategy

  • Digital Media Strategy

  • Earned Media Strategy

Results

Direct Community Outreach and Engagement

  • Direct mail delivered to all 4,148 targeted residences within the new street sweeping route areas.

  • Conducted eight (8) in-person community outreach events, resulting in 2,379 individual conversations with residents located in the target area.

  • Collected contact information from 326 residents within the target are (email and cell phone) to receive ongoing updates from the City.

Digital Media Strategy

Social Media

  • 396,558 organic impressions

  • 3.76 average organic engagement rate

    • 2023: 2.57%

    • 2024: 3.51%

    • 2025: 5.20%

Website

  • 2025 Page Views: 6,212

  • 2024 Page Views: 5,948

  • 1,700 % increase in overall visitors to cleanwatersalinas.com website.

  • 820% increase in visitors to the City’s Street Sweeping page.

  • 99% of visitors are “new visitors”

  • Street Sweeping web page is the top-visited page (homepage is ranked 2nd).

Earned Media Strategy

  • 25 direct media pitches

  • KSBW and KION feature highlighting campaign kickoff

  • Two (2) Univision features of the campaign

Collateral

  • Created over 70 social media posts (videos, graphics)

  • Public service announcement (PSA) 30/60 second video

  • Flyers, door hangers, postcards, direct mailers

  • Digital media kit and sample key messaging

  • Strategic campaign plan and FAQs

  • 12 blog posts (#WaterwayWednesday) published in English and Spanish

  • Regular newsletter

The City of Salinas' ("City") street sweeping program is an essential ground control strategy to recover pollutants from roads and rights-of-way before they can enter the storm drain system. The City recognized that a significant increase in the amount of debris removed from the streets by sweeping would translate to much greater removal of pollutants that would otherwise be transported by urban runoff to local creeks and rivers.

Challenge

In 2022, the City determined that to facilitate better implementation of the "No Parking" street sweeping signage program, the City needed to perform community education, outreach, and engagement to ensure the community is informed of the upcoming implementation of this program and the benefits to water quality this program provides.

In January 2023, the City Council approved a contract with CPRA Strategies to implement a community education and outreach program addressing "No Parking" street sweeping signage. In 2024 and 2025, the City renewed the contract to continue outreach.

Solution

After the contract award, CPRA met with City staff to discuss priority tactics and the timing of the education and outreach campaign. Within the first few weeks of the contract and through a series of meetings, CPRA and City staff finalized the campaign's direction, key community-based organization and stakeholders, and overall program timeline. The plan focused on the following areas:

  • Direct Community Outreach and Engagement Strategy

  • Digital Media Strategy

  • Earned Media Strategy

Results

Direct Community Outreach and Engagement

  • Direct mail delivered to all 4,148 targeted residences within the new street sweeping route areas.

  • Conducted eight (8) in-person community outreach events, resulting in 2,379 individual conversations with residents located in the target area.

  • Collected contact information from 326 residents within the target are (email and cell phone) to receive ongoing updates from the City.

Digital Media Strategy

Social Media

  • 396,558 organic impressions

  • 3.76 average organic engagement rate

    • 2023: 2.57%

    • 2024: 3.51%

    • 2025: 5.20%

Website

  • 2025 Page Views: 6,212

  • 2024 Page Views: 5,948

  • 1,700 % increase in overall visitors to cleanwatersalinas.com website.

  • 820% increase in visitors to the City’s Street Sweeping page.

  • 99% of visitors are “new visitors”

  • Street Sweeping web page is the top-visited page (homepage is ranked 2nd).

Earned Media Strategy

  • 25 direct media pitches

  • KSBW and KION feature highlighting campaign kickoff

  • Two (2) Univision features of the campaign

Collateral

  • Created over 70 social media posts (videos, graphics)

  • Public service announcement (PSA) 30/60 second video

  • Flyers, door hangers, postcards, direct mailers

  • Digital media kit and sample key messaging

  • Strategic campaign plan and FAQs

  • 12 blog posts (#WaterwayWednesday) published in English and Spanish

  • Regular newsletter

Other projects

© 2025 CPRA Studios is a division of CPRA Strategies, Inc.

© 2025 CPRA Studios is a division of CPRA Strategies, Inc.

© 2025 CPRA Studios is a division of CPRA Strategies, Inc.