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The California State Controller’s Office made just a handful of IT services purchases last month, but spent in the low seven figures on its five costliest.

Rising costs in California could be the main factor in Elon Musk’s decision to move Tesla headquarters to Austin. It may also be the first sign that Silicon Valley will lose its monopoly on the big tech industry.

Todd Coombes was for six years the chief insurance and technology officer for the California Earthquake Authority. He says that experience, along with his participation in 11 startups and several other executive roles he's held, prepared him for his current role.

The California Department of Public Health spent millions on IT services in January, much of it for maintenance and slight updates to an online enrollment system.

The CIO will oversee the implementation of an enterprise Customer Relationship Management system for the aging network, ensuring interoperability with other data systems, and creating public dashboards for data transparency. The position may be eligible for full-time telework.

As part of Techwire’s ongoing efforts to educate readers on state agencies, their IT plans and initiatives, here’s the latest in our periodic series of interviews with departmental IT leaders.

“Emily brings her considerable experience working with clients to solve problems and create a seamless path to success,” said M Corp CEO Alex Castro. “Her background in data strategy, product management and design will serve our clients well.”

One department is recruiting for a deputy director over IT. Other entities are seeking cloud architects and a senior network systems analyst.

State legislators have proposed laws that could alter the process and procurement of IT projects, generate digital equity in education and highlight the importance of cybersecurity.

“My job is to talk Venutian and Martian, to both sides of the equation, because vendors are not always speaking the same language that government clients understand,” Dale Jablonsky told Techwire.

Los Angeles County and the city of Berkeley are seeking to fill four IT-related positions between them — with classifications including manager and developer positions.

In a request for offer, the California Department of General Services on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services seeks IT modernization strategy and planning for a system that impacts millions of Californians.

“A veteran of state service, Director Tong’s deep experience in the public sector and leadership in the technology field have helped guide key efforts to make government more efficient and effective, including our work to bridge the digital divide and help state agencies navigate complex challenges during the pandemic,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said.

Sales and management veteran Bob Muellner said Salesforce is ramping up for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, and he said that ramp-up includes consideration of how the company can best serve “not only the fan and the athlete, but also the city and county from the standpoint of citizens, business owners and visitors. That’s our long-range focus over the course of the next six years.”

The California Employment Development Department has submitted two budget change proposals seeking funding for IT modernization that would enable compliance with recent legislation.

Techwire is pleased to welcome RingCentral to the Techwire family. California-based RingCentral provides cloud-based business communications and contact center solutions founded on its Message Video Phone platform. More cost-efficient and flexible than existing legacy on-prem PBX and video conferencing systems, RingCentral lets mobile, distributed workforces connect, communicate and work together on any device in any location via any mode. Its open platform design integrates seamlessly with third-party business apps. The company’s three key products are RingCentral Office, a Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) platform with team messaging and video meetings; Glip, its free video meetings solution enabling Smart Video Meetings; and its RingCentral Cloud Contact Center solutions. For more information visit ringcentral.com or contact Naveed Husain.

The Legislative Analyst’s Office supports part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal for modernization of state courts’ technology, but it suggests more oversight by lawmakers on the bulk of his plan for the judicial branch of California.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles made 10 purchases of IT services last month, and its most expensive buys show clearly that its long-discussed, large-scale modernization is underway.

PMLA is one of the four career-development academies offered to public-sector employees by the California Department of Technology.

“This initiative supports our commitment to student success and represents a desire to bridge the digital divide experienced by our students,” said Chi-Chung Keung, director of News Media Services at Cal State Fullerton. Students return the devices when they graduate or leave the university.

Government Operations Secretary Yolanda Richardson is the third high-profile member of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s leadership team to announce within the past week plans to step down.