Public Policy · Civic Tech · Performance Audits

Leonard
Hyman

Making government work better,
one audit at a time.

Civic Innovation Government Auditor Novelist-in-Progress
Leonard Hyman
About Me

Policy wonk. Audit nerd. Tech nerd.

I'm a civic innovation and tech policy professional whose career has spanned the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. I believe good government is a design problem — and I spend my days working to fix it.

I graduated from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and spent time as a Google Public Policy Fellow in Washington D.C., where I focused on internet governance and tech policy. I've conducted performance audits for city governments across California and written about civic tech for publications including TechCrunch and The Commons.

I read my actual teenage diaries on stage with the comedy show Mortified. (Yes, really. It's exactly as excruciating as it sounds.)

Civic Tech Government Reform Internet Policy Digital Media Performance Auditing
Work

Government Audits

Government audits have been stuck in PDFs for too long. What if they could evolve in the era of AI? Ask questions, explore findings, and cut through the jargon — no PDF reader required.

Chat with my AI Audit Chatbot →

If you'd rather read the PDFs, here they are. These are performance audits that drove real change in how San José and the Port of Los Angeles serve the public.

01
San José

Vehicle Abatement: The City Could Improve Customer Service for Abatement Requests

Press: CBS, NBC, Fox, Univision

02
San José

Towing Services: Changes to Contract Terms and Consolidated Oversight Could Improve Operations

03
San José

911 and 311: Changes to Call Handling and Increased Hiring Could Improve Call Answering Times

Press: ABC7, NBC Bay Area, KRON4, Telemundo, Mercury News

04
San José

Street and Utility In-Lieu Fees: Transparency and Coordination Can Improve Fee Administration

05
San José

Development Partners' Work-in-Progress Reserves: Better Monitoring Can Ensure Reserves Align with Needs

06
San José

Real Estate Services: Better Tools and Coordination Can Improve Asset Management

Writing

Published Work

Journalism and essays on tech policy, civic innovation, and government reform.

The Commons

Behind the Good Intentions, It's Easy To See the Failings of the System

The challenges facing applicants and departments in Los Angeles' civil service process.
TechCrunch

U.S. To Scale Back Its Role In Internet Governance
TechCrunch

Welcome To The Valley, Mr. President
📓
Plot Twist

I Read My Teenage Diaries on Stage

As a performer with Mortified, I've shared the deeply embarrassing contents of my actual teenage journals with live audiences. It's cathartic, hilarious, and probably irresponsible. I'm also working on my first novel — which will almost certainly be more embarrassing than the diaries.

Learn about Mortified