Californians have been under a statewide stay-at-home order since March 19, and Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that so-called social distancing measures could extend as long as 12 weeks. While the hiatus likely won’t have a direct impact on its primary mission, members of the state Little Hoover Commission considered the potentially chilling effect on state gov tech the legislative break could have, coupled with the contents of a Budget Letter sent Monday by the state Department of Finance (DoF) to department directors and others. Among the takeaways:
• In its letter, which also went out to department staff and legislators, DoF indicated the global pandemic is “impacting nearly all sectors of California’s economy … with corresponding negative effects on anticipated revenues,” potentially during the 2019-2020 Fiscal Year ending June 30 but “certainly” in FY 2020-2021 and beyond. DoF will now “re-evaluate all budget changes within the context of a workload budget,” generally considered the budget year cost of currently authorized services, adjusted for changes including to enrollment and caseload population.
This, the department said, includes all Spring Finance Letter requests, potential adjustments in the May budget revision and previously approved adjustments in the governor’s budget. It applies to “all support and local assistance adjustments, inclusive of Capital Outlay and information technology projects.”
“Resource constraints may ultimately force a prioritization even within this definition,” DoF Director Keely Bosler said, referring to the “workload budget” definition. “As a result, agencies and departments should have no expectation of full funding for either new or existing proposals and adjustments.” The only exception, she noted, could be proposals or adjustments related to the state’s emergency response to the pandemic.
Little Hoover Executive Director Ethan Rarick told Techwire the commission’s budget of around $1.2 million is “much the same as it was,” and officials hadn’t planned to seek any increase.
• More worrisome for tech legislation this year is the fact that both houses of the Legislature voted March 16 to recess from March 20 through April 13, the day lawmakers planned to return from their spring recess. The resulting accelerated timeline for the current legislative session, Rarick said, could mean the Legislature would just “work on the budget and coronavirus legislation and most things would be pushed to next year.” (Per the state Constitution, lawmakers must approve a budget by June 15.)
“Most of our work is fairly long-term. So, I think that for us what is likely to happen if the Legislature comes back and focuses solely on coronavirus and the budget, I think that means that probably the kinds of policy recommendations we make get pushed to next year. That’s actually not too different from our normal process,” Rarick said.
• One technology bill currently awaiting the Legislature is Assembly Bill 2209, introduced by Rancho Mirage Republican Chad Mayes. Building on the commission’s recommendations in a report last fall, it would establish through Jan. 1, 2031, “the California Geographic Information Office within the (California) Department of Technology for the purpose of coordinating the state’s geographic information systems (GIS) projects, promulgating standards for data collection and sharing, and managing shared data resources.” The bill defines the duties of the state Geographic Information Officer, appointed by the Governor, to include “developing a state GIS strategic plan in consultation with key stakeholders,” including the California Geographic Information Advisory Council, which the bill also establishes. On March 12, AB 2209 was referred to the Assembly committees on Privacy and Consumer Protection, and Accountability and Administrative Review.
Rarick said commissioners were asked to testify at a hearing on the bill scheduled for March 31 — and now, of course, not happening. “That’s a technical area where the implementation of our recommendations could be delayed,” he said.
• In other business, commissioners voted unanimously to retain Chairman Pedro Nava and Vice Chairman Sean Varner in these roles for additional one-year terms. The commission is also obtaining access to Zoom, to hold future meetings and public hearings remote as needed. Thursday’s meeting was conducted via conference call.
