Abstract
Responding to public concerns regarding affordable housing and urban growth, the County of Sacramento Board of Supervisors initiated a pilot program in 2004 to change the land use public hearing process. In this thesis I review the structural process changes that were implemented to reduce barriers for the public to participate in the public hearing process. Utilizing the suggestions from current literature on creating an inclusive public hearing process, I created an Effective Public Hearing Process Matrix that examines how perceptions, information and transparency impact access for the public to participate. I review how the pilot program increased public participation access to the community as the decision-maker and as an informed member of the general public using current literature as the framework of my analysis.