Pesticide Regulator Hunts for New CIO, More Funding

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is looking for its next permanent CIO following the recent departure of Samuel Silva.

Silva, who was tapped to lead the DPR’s IT operations in April 2023, moved on to the same role with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) in March of this year.

Before joining DTSC, Silva spent more than 13 years with DPR and served in numerous capacities, including web support supervisor, infrastructure manager, IT branch chief and others.

IT Branch Chief Mina Guirguis has been serving as the acting CIO, according to the state’s AIO/CIO directory. A job posting for Silva’s CIO position was published on May 27, with a final filing date of June 10.

Beyond the hunt for a new CIO, DPR is also looking for additional funding through a budget change proposal (BCP) for two full-time positions and $809,000 for maintenance and operations of the SprayDays California system.

That system was first approved in the 2021 Budget Act as a first-of-its-kind “statewide, public-facing pesticide application notification system,” that officially launched in March 2025.

In the first six months of its public operations, the system was used by more than 3,000 people across 49 of the state’s 58 counties, the department noted in its budget request. The ongoing maintenance and operation of the system and public outreach efforts are now in jeopardy with initial funding and limited-term staff set to expire June 30.

“These needs exceed the capacity of DPR’s existing IT staffing availability and budget, which has its resources dedicated to pre-existing departmental systems. Additional funding is essential to keep the system functional and responsive for public use,” the BCP reads.

More broadly, the department’s 2024-28 strategic plan includes several mentions of the development and/or iteration of various systems, including California Pesticide Electronic Submission Tracking (CalPEST), SprayDays California, and an electronic payment and licensing application slated to begin development by 2025 and launch by 2028.

The department has an estimated annual budget of about $162 million, with roughly $6 million dedicated to IT operations, according to Industry Navigator*.

*Editor's note: Industry Navigator is a product of e.Republic, the parent company of Industry Insider — California.