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Ashley Nelson

Technology industry organization TechAmerica released a white paper last week that describes a lack of negotiations utilized by the Department of General Services during the procurement process for state projects, goods and services, TechAmerica Vice President Carol Henton said today.
Part two of a national series on IT procurement modernization cites California’s efforts in recent years to save taxpayer money and increase vendor competition by, among other things, reducing the 50 percent requirement for performance bonds.
Last week, Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law a bill that will maintain the state CIO’s cabinet-level status even after the state Technology Agency is turned into a department, according to a press release.
Jim Butler, appointed to the Department of General Services for the first time in 2008, has been reappointed as Chief Procurement Officer, the governor’s office announced Tuesday.
Department is actively recruiting for a new CIO California Employment Development Department’s former CIO Mike Howland, recently moved into the department’s chief deputy director role in a move the department is calling a "new challenge" rather than a promotion, will likely leave the position by February 2013 and return to retirement, an EDD spokesperson said via email Tuesday.
With a shrinking budget and a staff cut by one-third since she started in the job five years ago, Carolyn Hogg, chief information officer for the city of Fresno, has prioritized collaboration and honestly in a department that
The California Office of Technology, known as OTech, will begin work on several cost saving projects over the next year, prioritizing cloud services and virtualized desktop services for OTech customers, according to director Ron Hughes.
Activity related to the final passage of the budget, including last week’s budget bills, has some direct impacts to state IT programs. Also pending is AB 1498 that will codify recommendations made by the Little Hoover Commission to maintain the cabinet-level status of the state CIO, requiring the CIO report to the governor on IT matters. AB 1498, a gut and amend bill authored by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, D-Alamo, also requests that the administration considers moving procurement responsibility for IT contracts from the Department of General Services to the Technology Agency, which will be the Department of Technology under the new Reorganization Plan, according to the bill language.
The California State Legislature allowed Gov. Jerry Brown’s Reorganization Plan No. 2 to pass into law at Monday’s close, with the plan slated to be implemented no later than July 1, 2013.
Following an agreement between the state workers’ union and Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration, a newly formed 10-person Budget Solutions Task Force will begin meeting August 1 to review state contracts, including IT vendor contracts, and make recommendations about which contracts should be eliminated.
Facebook has joined six other mobile application platform companies by signing an agreement to post clear privacy statements for the millions of Facebook users who access social applications through the site, according to a statement released Friday.
The 21st Century Project, an effort within the State Controller’s office to replace legacy payroll systems with a single system for all state employees, went live with a new payroll system this month, with 1,300 employees expected to get paychecks from the new system at the end of the month, according to project leaders.
The California Technology Agency has hired a former IBM and HP IT professional as the new State Chief Enterprise Architect, the agency confirmed today.
The State Library’s California Research Bureau this week released two "Short Subjects" as part of a new series about open government initiatives, according to the state library website.
In an attempt to improve state IT projects, California Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, D- Alamo, has moved to allow the California Technology Agency negotiating authority for IT contracts under California Public Contract Code Section 6611, Buchanan said today.
The California Employment Development Department has awarded a $16 million contract to Fast Enterprises, Inc. for software support services as part of the department’s new accounting and collection system, an EDD spokesperson said
The California Health Benefit Exchange today announced its intent to award a $183 million contract to Accenture LLC for initial development and implementation of the CalHEERS project, according to documents posted online.
The Little Hoover Commission has recommended that California’s CIO have a direct reporting relationship with the Governor as state government undergoes changes recommended in Gov. Jerry Brown’s Reorganization Plan, according to the Commission’s final report issued Friday to the legislature.
Leaders in state government technology met just minutes from the Capitol tonight for the celebration of successful government IT projects and the Best of California awards ceremony.
The California Secretary of State has awarded Folsom-based Visionary Integration Professionals (VIP) a contract for nearly $1 million to manage the California Business Connect project, which will automate the manual filing and records system within the agency’s Business Programs Division, according to company a press release.
The Little Hoover Commission during a meeting on Tuesday approved a recommendation to the state legislature for approval of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Reorganization Plan and will offer a final report addressing specific concerns with the plan in a few days, Commission Executive Director Stuart Drown said today.
The California Health Benefit Exchange on Friday revealed its intent to award a $9.3 million contract to First Data Government Solutions for project management and support services on the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System (CalHEERS) project, according to documents found on the Exchange website.
The California Health Benefits exchange has appointed Juli A. Baker to serve as chief technology officer of the California Health Benefits Exchange, according to an Exchange press release.
A bill that would restrict local government and agencies’ abilities to interrupt or shutdown mobile service without court review passed through the state Senate Judiciary Committee this week and will now face a full Senate vote, according to the bill’s author.
The Little Hoover Commission will meet Friday to discuss potential recommendations on Gov. Jerry Brown’s Reorganization Plan, which will reduce the number of state agencies and move the California Technology Agency under a new Government Operations Commission, Little Hoover Commission officials confirmed today.
The Department of Community Services and Development will soon have a new system that will consolidate several outdated, stand-alone systems and databases and simplify the process of meeting mandated federal reporting guidelines, according to a department spokeswoman.
Budget Subcommittee 4, scheduled to meet on May 1, has removed an agenda item to discuss the Governor’s Reorganization Plan to eliminate the California Technology Agency, according to a committee spokesperson.
The Little Hoover Commission on Tuesday heard public comment on a portion of Gov. Jerry Brown’s Reorganization Plan that would make the Technology Agency a department under a new Government Operations Agency, removing the state CIO’s position as a member of the governor’s cabinet.
Typical of this time of year in the State Capitol, a flurry of legislative activity has resulted in bills moving through policy committees. Here are some notable technology-related proposals making their way closer to the Governor’s desk.
Assembly Budget Subcommittee 4, chaired by Assemblymember Joan Buchanan, has rescheduled its hearing that will informally discuss the Technology Agency reorganization plan for May 1 at 1:30 in the State Capitol Room 437, according to subcommittee staff.