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The budget is out, as are the funding requests known as budget change proposals from the various agencies and departments. Here are a couple that caught our eye.
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The Employment Development Department is one step closer to a new HQ. CIO Ajit Girn announced major progress in the move in a post on LinkedIn.
Early successes with the city’s Real-Time Information Center and drone program have officials evaluating where the program and technology that supports it could evolve in the new year.
Director of Finance Joe Stephenshaw described the budget, which includes a modest increase in spending from the prior year, as a "snapshot in time" ahead of the May Revision, when any number of factors could influence the budget. In the meantime, the proposal includes funding for several big-ticket IT projects.
Industry Insider — California is pleased to welcome Allied Network Solutions to the Insider family. The Rocklin, Calif.-based firm was founded in 2001 and has grown into one of the state’s largest Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) IT resellers serving federal, state and local government. Allied Network Solutions provides a full range of IT and resource management services with the mission of delivering innovative, process-driven solutions that solve their clients’ real-world business challenges.
John McCurry has served as an account manager with the industry giant since 2021 and is now setting his sights on serving the company’s California state agency clients.
The state has tried to modernize the payroll system that is responsible for these errors, but those efforts have fallen short. The current attempt to design a more modern system began a decade ago, and just last year, the state selected a vendor to build it.
In the final State of the State address of his administration, Gov. Gavin Newsom teased the release of his proposed budget, plans for education reform, and — of course — added fuel to his rivalry with President Donald Trump.
As one of the state’s earliest adopters of generative artificial intelligence, the California Department of Transportation has been leading the charge on real-world use cases since 2024. Now leaders want to broaden the GenAI scope and lean in on efficiency.
Wheeler, one of the driving personalities behind the California Department of Transportation’s generative AI adoption, retired as 2025 came to a close. A yet-unnamed contender has been selected to take up the challenge, officials say.
What to Know:
- Saturday is the deadline for Gov. Gavin Newsom to propose his budget for the next fiscal year.
- The Department of Finance expects to publish agency budget change proposals (BCPs) on Friday.
- BCPs, subject to the whims of the budgeting process, will show where state agencies’ major IT project priorities lie.
The multi-decade project to align all of California’s financial information in one system received its annual audit Dec. 16. The findings highlight tight timelines and a lengthy to-do list.
California’s budget position remains tenuous heading into the new year. But work continues on many large state IT projects across the enterprise — here are four of the largest, and their 2026 plans.
Government’s revolving door didn’t get any break in 2025. There were some big career changes at some very prominent agencies. Let’s break down the ones we caught.
2025 was a big year for big departments with big IT budgets. Let’s break down what they spent on IT goods and services and telecom, and which vendors ended up with that money.
As we reflect on 2025, here are our picks for the largest, most impactful technology stories in California this year:
Several departments are seeking high-tech expertise in the latest round of job postings on CalCareers. Here are the highlights.
The city of Vallejo could soon be looking for a consultant to evaluate its policies around Flock Safety cameras and similar surveillance technologies throughout the jurisdiction, officials told city leaders.
Industry Insider — California will pause the morning newsletter during the long holiday break in observance of the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. The next newsletter will hit your inbox on Monday, Dec. 29, and we will return to our regular schedule on Jan. 2.
Power shortages and high costs are stalling new data centers, leaving the Bay Area behind faster-growing markets like Atlanta and Northern Virginia.
Local government procurement teams will be contending with new labor union notification requirements come Jan. 1. Cities and counties were largely opposed to the legislation, fearing it could stretch already lengthy procurement processes even more.
Zebra Technologies and bioMerieux have filed notices with the state that indicate their plans to eliminate nearly 200 positions in San Jose in the coming months.
Contributed
California’s public sector is no longer asking whether artificial intelligence will be used in government — the question now is how to deploy it responsibly, at scale, and with measurable impact. Across agencies, generative AI pilots are moving into production, governance frameworks are taking shape, and staff are being asked to integrate new tools into mission-critical workflows.
See how the State of Montana protects its most critical assets — and its residents — with SentinelOne security solutions.
They also recover devices in less than 15 minutes, instead of hours or days and have peace of mind with 24x7.
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