The county of Santa Cruz in northern California is exploring and implementing a new way to help their community: a blockchain-based digital wallet. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to launch a 3-stage pilot program in July 2023, powered by HUMBL. Participants in the program will be able to access government services such as bicycle registration and RV parking registration, over-the-counter building permit distribution, tracking volunteer hours, and pet licensing.

The digital wallet project began taking shape as early as April of 2022 as Santa Cruz county Board of Supervisors joined forces with HUMBL in order to develop the technology infrastructure necessary for the pilot program. Once the pilot period has concluded in September 2023, the County will provide a report and proposal to move forward with the digital wallet's full rollout.

Despite the County's enthusiasm for the project, the open discussion forum on their official website revealed some concern from local residents. One commenter, Becky Seinbruner, urged for the pause and re-examination of the digital wallet developments as she raised concerns regarding data use and privacy issues on the part of the infrastructure provider HUMBL. To assuage these worries, the County has agreed that during the pilot period, they will be assessing local users' trust of the underlying technology, as well as whether they understand the mechanics of the wallet.

Santa Cruz County's innovation in its approach to government services is admirable and encouraging, giving local citizens the opportunity to take part in a revolutionary technology. This pilot program is a positive indication of the power and potential of blockchain technology in government applications, so it will be exciting to see how it unfolds over the next few months.



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