Though waiting in line at the Department of Motor Vehicles is a standard modern complaint, those lines could be starting to become a thing of the past.
This week, a number of new laws went into effect as 2012 was a year of many technology-related measures discussed in the Legislature and signed by Governor Brown. Here are some of the bills Techwire has tracked over the past year.
Caltrans has begun a pilot program to accept contractor bids using an electronic bidding system, which the agency hopes will reduce project costs and speed up the bidding process.
A new interactive data tool shows the public the financial state of California hospitals, launched by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).
The State Controller’s Office has hired Folsom-based Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) to provide project management support for the MyCalPAYs project.
Sensors built by computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego have allowed users to monitor air quality on their smart phones in real time.
The California Technology Agency released new protocols for state IT projects this week that they hope will allow for greater efficiency and reduced paperwork in government.
The National Safety Council wants California legislators to repeal a law that will allow drivers to text with hands-free devices, starting on Jan. 1 of 2013, the non-profit organization announced this week.
Assurance Wireless, a federal Lifeline Assistance program, hopes to provide the homeless and impoverished with free cell phones and service by early 2013, according to an article on the Sacramento Bee.
The ability to text 911 will be available in certain parts of the country in 2013, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) chairman Julius Genachowski announced in a press release.
California State Senator Alex Padilla has been awarded TechNet’s annual Tech Champion award for California. Senator Padilla has represented Pacoima since 2006 and has authored several bills involving regulations with self-driving cars, voice-over IP and strengthening California’s Smart Grid.
Attorney General Kamala D. Harris has taken the first legal action under California’s online privacy law against Delta Airlines. The complaint alleges that Delta Airlines failed to comply with the California Online Privacy Protection Act.
Sex offenders in California, like other states, are restricted from living near schoolyards, playgrounds, beaches, libraries and other public places. Now, last month’s approval of California Proposition 35 (the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act) could result in sex offenders being restricted on the Internet as well.
The rise of the Internet over the past decade, particularly of large communities like Reddit, has made politicians take notice of their influence. Last month, Representative Zoe Lofgren, a Democrat from California’s 16th District, appealed to Reddit for suggestions on her legislation regarding domain name seizures.
A bill to establish regulations on the domestic use of drones that could be used to monitor civilians was introduced yesterday by Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima).
A free and open Internet may be at risk from the United Nations summit that will take place in Dubai next week, according to speakers at a Stanford University event.
A new automated debt collection program called the Federal Treasury Offset Program (FTOP) has now been fully launched by the Franchise Tax Board (FTB). The FTOP will intercept federal tax refunds of individuals who owe back California income tax in order to pay those debts.
After Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast, many people were eager to donate money, goods and volunteer services to help the people in need. However, sorting through the myriad of organizations that offer help can be a daunting task.
As electronic medical records and large research databases composed of hundreds of thousands of individuals become increasingly common, privacy and security are becoming increasing concerns. Panelists at the Health Information Exchange Stakeholder Summit 2012 urged for information systems to be designed with privacy in mind from the beginning.
The Department of Consumer Affairs contract to expedite online testing for professional licensees, such as cosmologist, pharmacists, dentists and landscape architects, has been tentatively awarded to PSI. A Notice of Intent to Award has been issued, contract signatures are pending, according to a spokesperson.
California is currently realizing its potential to use "big data" to support research and medicine, using and combining research databases to collect huge swathes of information.
Sacramento County has received a $27,000 rebate check from the Sacramento County Municipal Utility District (SMUD) for the energy savings as a result of server virtualization.
In the past, finding out where and when a crime occurred could be very difficult. Curious civilians and reporters would have to comb through state records or call a local police officer. Photos would have to be taken after the fact, or if by sheer chance a photographer was on the scene with their camera when a crime happened.
The Financial Information System for California (FI$Cal) Project has awarded IBM a $3.2 million contract for the company to provide enterprise resource planning (ERP) advisory services to the project.
The California Technology Agency’s Office of Telecommunications Procurement announced this week that 21 vendors were given Pre-qualified Multiple Award Contracts (PMAC). These awards signify the completion of the first procurement phase of CALNET 3.
On Tuesday, Attorney General Kamala D. Harris began to formally inform several application developers and companies that they are violating California privacy law.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is getting ready to deploy a new system that will block cell phone connectivity, including texting, Internet access and voice calls, by prison inmates who many times use devices to conduct criminal activities on the outside.
The successful change management effort for users to adopt CalPERS’ $500 million IT consolidation project has won the pension system an award by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO).
When it comes to being safe online, many people do not have good habits. There are obvious rules of thumb that pretty much every Internet citizen knows—don’t download files from unsafe websites and don’t click links or give out banking information in emails from unknown people.
