Legislation introduced this week by Assemblywoman Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, would require agencies to set modernization goals and objectives by Jan. 1, 2020.
“Despite being the technology capital of the world, California’s government is woefully behind the times when it comes to family-friendly workplaces and efficiency,” Waldron said in a statement to Techwire.
“The modern advancements of flexible work schedules, digital communications, transparency, cloud computing, operational efficiencies and cybersecurity are clean, cost-saving and serve the public,” she added.
AB 2087 seeks to harness information technology to streamline operations at every state office, department, division, bureau, board and commission, and the Legislature.
Doing so, Waldron argues, would modernize working environments for state workers and align California’s government with the private sector, which, for example, has used technology to allow its workers to telecommute — saving money, increasing worker morale and reducing a company’s carbon footprint.
Lynda Gledhill, a spokeswoman for the state Government Operations Agency, declined to comment on Waldron’s legislation.
The bill would require agencies to set goals to modernize their information technology systems and detail how the use of technology would improve efficiencies, as well as create implementation and cost assessment plans.
“It is time that all branches of the state government, including the Legislature, take a look at their current practices to modernize,” Waldron said.
