The departments of Technology, Finance and Employment Development are all seeking qualified technology leaders.

Only 1 of the 10 candidates in the race to be California's next governor explicitly mentioned technology in their policy platforms. Most were focused on the issues of housing and homelessness and the state's affordability crisis.

Under Trump administration guidance, the $42.5 billion program shifts to “technology-neutral” builds; Democrats warn satellite and fixed wireless could undercut reliability and raise long-term costs.

The cancellation of federal Digital Equity Act program grants in May created uncertainty for some broadband efforts in California. Even so, officials say they are resolved to leverage existing networks and relationships to continue.

Last year, Gov. Gavin Newsom vetoed just under 20 percent of the bills lawmakers sent him, citing cost as the deciding factor. This year, big-ticket bills about technology, prescription drugs and more could face similar hurdles.

Keynote by Jen Easterly, former CISA Director

Cloud ransomware isn't a matter of if, but when. Are you truly ready?

Scale Smarter, Stay Safer with Tek Yantra’s Rocon & Kosmic Eye

It only takes one click, one misconfigured port, or one forgotten patch — and, suddenly, 911 dispatch is offline, water treatment operations grind to a halt, or a regional airport is paralyzed. For state and local governments, protecting critical infrastructure is no longer just an IT issue, it's a matter of public safety, economic stability, and trust.

Cloudflare has teamed up with The California Department of Technology to protect the security and performance of all CA.gov websites — at no cost to state departments, agencies, or offices. This service helps safeguard public-facing websites with reliable performance and gives state entities better visibility and control over their CA.gov web traffic.