SACRAMENTO — California CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins called on the state and local CIOs and technology leaders to embrace technological change and new partnerships during the California CIO Academy* Tuesday morning.
Bailey-Crimmins, a 30-year veteran of state government, urged government tech leaders to approach their work from a people-first perspective, pointing to the Los Angeles wildfire disaster as a prime example of a rapid, human-centered technology response to a crisis.
The fires — which destroyed huge swaths of residential areas in the Los Angeles area, killed at least 29 people and displaced thousands of others — highlighted some of the deficiencies in physical disaster recovery sites as residents struggled to navigate ad hoc sites under stress.
“When a disaster strikes, putting people first is not an option; it’s essential,” she said.
In the aftermath of the fires, Bailey-Crimmins said the state built a digital version of a disaster recovery site to smooth the friction points associated with accessing critical services, like the replacement of lost documents, relief assistance and more.
The site was launched in 48 hours, and, within the first few months of operation, it garnered 600,000 page views and 470,000 unique users looking for services and information about things like air quality and school schedules, Bailey-Crimmins said.
“When you’re in crisis, speed matters; the right technology can change peoples’ lives,” she said.
The situation underscored the importance of collaboration across the board, Bailey-Crimmins said, noting the partnership with the Office of Data and Innovation, county and local partners, and the private sector.
To better prepare for future crises, the CIO said the state is working on a modular response solution that can be scaled quickly in the event of a natural disaster, like an earthquake or wildfire.
“Let’s learn and get better each time,” she said.
Beyond disaster response, the state has been a leader in generative AI, launching several pilot projects in 2024 and new contracting opportunities coming down the pipe, she said.
*The California CIO Academy is hosted by Government Technology, Industry Insider — California's sister publication.
Bailey-Crimmins to CIOs: Technology Evolves, but Leadership Is Timeless
In a Tuesday address to state and local CIOs and industry partners, California CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins urged a people-first approach to technology deployments.
