Alameda County

Alameda County has long been a leader in developing climate protection strategies. In 2006, The Board of Supervisors adopted the Climate Change Leadership Strategy Resolution, committing the County to integrate climate considerations into County plans and processes. The Board followed that in 2010 by adopting The Alameda County Climate Action Plan for Government Services and Operations, which set out specific measures that County agencies could take to create more efficient government operations to help reach the goal of a 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020. Susan Muranishi, the County Administrator, challenged each Department to achieve these goals through innovation and modernization. As Agencies and Departments looked at ways to make their business greener, a recurrent theme was that reducing paper consumption with digital processes would make significant strides toward meeting the County’s goals. One sticking point in eliminating paper, however, was that many documents, such as new-hire paperwork, vendor contracts, leases and other agreements, all required signatures. Up to this point obtaining signatures meant that documents had to be printed and then signed. To eliminate its old, manual, paper-based systems, the County needed a digital solution with a legally enforceable eSignature component so signatories could sign documents without needing to print. The task of finding an eSignature solution that would meet the county’s needs fell to Howard Hill, IT Manager in the Information Technology Department.