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Three state departments are looking for high-level technical talent to run their IT operations.
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In December, professor Jeff Hancock admitted in a court filing that he had used ChatGPT, blamed the bot for an error and two other AI “hallucinations” he had subsequently discovered in his submission, and apologized to the court.
The Employment Development Department’s budget change proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the largest IT-related request filed by a state agency, is intended to continue the EDDNext system modernization initiative.
“We revamped the Open Source Portal and made it more user-friendly and easier to share and reuse open-source code,” said Blaine Wasylkiw, the state deputy chief technology innovation officer. “Government entities, businesses and the public can use this collaborative tool to develop digital solutions quickly.”
Experts say schools and their vendors are increasingly being targeted by professional criminals overseas who seek money through ransomware attacks or by stealing personal data that can be sold on the dark web to be used for identity theft.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget includes $322 billion in spending, including several large technology projects and the creation of new agencies to address homelessness and consumer protection.
One year earlier, in the fourth quarter of 2023, CHP’s five largest buys of IT goods totaled $22.4 million. The agency’s five largest purchases of IT goods in 2024 totaled $33.2 million.
Municipalities in California and around the nation are carefully using artificial intelligence to improve access to documents and public meeting materials, leaders said during the recent GovAI Coalition Summit.
The California Department of Transportation spent $12.1 million on its five largest buys of IT goods in 2024. During the same period, its five largest purchases of IT services totaled just under $23 million.
A spokeswoman for the Sonoma County Health Services Department said the local contract resulted from a “competitive process” through the National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance, a government purchasing cooperative.
Watch Duty, which counted 7.2 million yearly active users at the end of 2024, has already added 600,000 new users since the fires began in Los Angeles County, according to CEO John Mills.
The governor drew a parallel between the nascent federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the state’s Office of Digital Innovation: “Our DOGE is spelled ODI,” he said, referring to the arm of the Government Operations Agency that serves as the tip of the spear in California’s technological evolution.
The positions are in the Office of Digital Services, which provides GIS/open data, web portals, software engineering and open-source code curation for organizations to provide innovative digital services
California cities will receive significant funding for EV chargers in underserved areas, including $15 million for 300 ports in San Francisco and $14.35 million for 44 sites in Santa Cruz. San Jose will also get $12 million to install 237 chargers at public facilities across Santa Clara County.
Recruitments in information security and data engineering are being conducted by the Office of Tax Appeals, the California Lottery, the Department of Finance, California Correctional Health Care Services and the Employment Development Department.
Four of the quarter’s biggest purchases for the Department of Motor Vehicles were software and support, and one was for notebook computers. For all of 2024, the department’s five largest buys totaled $24.7 million.
These funds can be key to breaking the innovation stalemate. In California, funding nimble, high-impact solutions can help replace inertia with action, helping agencies modernize IT systems and deliver better services for the public.
The board is seeking for a new IT leader after its previous CIO, Jefferson Willoughby, moved on to another state job.
“We’re definitely behind on some technology,” one official said after the New Year’s Eve crash. “It is an antiquated system and we have recognized that for some time.”
Subbarao Mupparaju, a longtime leader within the Financial Information System for California, recaps his department’s achievements during the year that just ended and looks ahead to what awaits the state’s business office in 2025.
“At the heart of his work was an unwavering dedication to his clients and government and a deep appreciation for the relationships he built, which will leave a lasting legacy,” his family wrote in a LinkedIn post.
“I am honored to continue work on the Little Hoover Commission, an independent voice advocating for policy reform, efficiency and accountability,” Nava said.
Contributed
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The story you are about to read is true; the names have been withheld to protect the innocent.
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