Five of the 10 largest expenditures were made by two entities: the Office of Systems Integration, part of the California Health and Human Services Agency; and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
Public officials and private stakeholders gathered in Natomas last week to celebrate the start of a more than 250-mile stretch of fiber-optic cable that will run from San Jose to Carson City, Nev.
The California Public Utilities Commission awarded Comcast $13.8 million in grant funding this month to expand broadband Internet access in Sutter County.
The vacancies are in the California Public Utilities Commission, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Consumer Affairs.
The award-winning veteran of state service outlined for Industry Insider — California his goals, his priorities and his expectations as he takes over as agency information officer for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The California Public Utilities Commission is partnering with Maximus to oversee its California Connect program, which provides services to the state’s deaf and disabled residents through new technologies, policies and advocacy.
From new contracting requirements around Internet service providers to cybersecurity metrics, this session has seen a lot of IT-related bills. Have any survived the journey thus far? Yes. Yes, they have.
With the state staring down the barrel of a multibillion-dollar deficit, lawmakers have been busy looking for solutions. Here’s a look at some of the changes for IT.
If passed, the proposal, which has support from San Francisco officials, would mark the first big update to the state’s regulatory reporting requirements regarding autonomous vehicles since 2018.
Senate Bill 1179 would create new contracting requirements for state agencies and Internet service providers around affordable Internet service. Trade groups have voiced opposition to the proposal.
“If we don’t fix this, none of our plans, regardless of how good they are, will come to pass because consumers won’t accept EVs without a reliable EV infrastructure,” said Frank Menchaca, president of sustainable mobility solutions at the Society of Automotive Engineers.
The California Department of Transportation, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of General Services are seeking to fill key roles in information security and project management.
The Legislature is considering bills setting requirements around procurement contracts with Internet service providers, the use of facial recognition technology and electronic signatures, among others.
Using a Request for Innovative Ideas, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tech-focused strategy, the California Department of Technology challenges innovators and entrepreneurs to suggest potential solutions for the state’s high-speed Internet network.
The California Government Innovation Summit, to be presented Tuesday in Sacramento by Government Technology, is a transformation of the yearly Digital Government Summit.
Administrators for Cruise blamed the breakdown on “wireless connectivity issues,” due to an overload of cellphone usage at a large concert.
California’s new $310.8 billion state budget, signed Tuesday by Gov. Gavin Newsom, remains to be refined this summer in budget trailer bills — but already includes many millions for IT work in broadband, child welfare and education.
The California Public Utilities Commission is hiring a new CIO, and the military and housing departments are also in the market for IT leadership positions.
The state IT department, the public utilities commission and the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership are all involved in an effort to gather feedback on development of the State Digital Equity Plan and the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment five-year plan.
Recruitments are underway at the state departments of Motor Vehicles and Health Care Services, the California Public Utilities Commission and the California State Lottery.
The funding, which is slightly more than $540 million, is part of a series of releases that began last year — and is considered to be “the largest single infusion of broadband funding” of its type to a state.
Departments seeking expertise include the California Public Utilities Commission, the Department of Transportation, the State Controller’s Office and the Department of Technology.
Daniel Quach, who has held executive positions in state and local government, is the new chief information officer for the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation. Returning to state government is a homecoming of sorts, he told Industry Insider — California.
The California Public Utilities Commission has released a request for offer that could potentially modernize significant aspects of its human capital management processes.
The ask comes in the form of a budget change proposal and offers alternatives to the complete funding sought.
The state Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance’s recent former co-chair spoke with Industry Insider — California about potential areas of focus for lawmakers this year.
The departments work in the areas of insurance, purchasing, technology and taxes.
The federal legislation, signed last year, will augment California’s multibillion-dollar investment in improving the quality and availability of high-speed Internet across the state.
Two upcoming events hosted by the state technology department are aimed at informing vendors and local governments about procurement and mapping availabilities.
The department issued the latest in its series of updates on California’s progress toward building a statewide broadband network, which includes details on the administration of federal funding.
The laws are among those approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom at the end of the recent legislative session.
The California Department of Technology and one of its frequent state collaborators are convening conversations on broadband deployment, digital equity planning and related activities later this month.
The California Public Utilities Commission and the Franchise Tax Board have opened recruitments for these key IT positions.
The Department of Rehabilitation and the California Public Utilities Commission are conducting searches for candidates for these key executive roles.
In a new request for proposal, the California Department of Technology and the California Public Utilities Commission seek responses from IT companies interested in working on the Renewables Portfolio Standard Database System Expansion Project.
A handful of technology leaders in state government advise those seeking top leadership roles to build relationships, hire smart people, and take advantage of unexpected opportunities.
State officials have green-flagged the launch of a fare-based ride-hailing business featuring cars with no human driver at the wheel.
Several significant proposed laws that could improve digital equity and affect how IT modernizations are done are making their way through the state Senate and Assembly.
Steve Monaghan, the veteran chief information officer for Nevada County, has published the fifth in a series of six essays for Rural County Representatives of California, a service organization that advocates for policies on behalf of rural counties.
The California Department of Technology has released a draft statewide broadband map and design recommendations from its third-party administrator, for building out the so-called “middle-mile” network.
The proposed laws would address what digital equity means to the state and its residents and could provide funding to educators and technologists alike.
Work is proceeding on several fronts to fully plan and sequence projects and ensure supplies are ready, officials said during the monthly meeting of the Middle-Mile Advisory Committee.
“We are building the middle-mile network based on data and opportunities to improve connectivity that will result in reliable and more affordable service in all regions of the state, including hard-to-reach rural and tribal communities and lower-income urban areas,” write the state’s broadband leaders.
It’s far from a final approved act, but Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed 2022-2023 Fiscal Year state budget would spend millions to continue existing technology initiatives and begin new projects.
The latest California Department of Technology Vendor Forum offered IT companies the latest word on current and upcoming procurements as well as ongoing IT work and process updates.
The state has announced 18 broadband projects across California aimed at activating an “open-access middle-mile network” – and reflecting billions in federal funding.
The California Public Utilities Commission has been working to follow state Auditor Elaine Howle’s technology recommendations since 2015, and the auditor’s latest update, published this week, reports that it’s still a work in progress.
The chief technology officer advises the commission’s IT leaders on major policy decisions that affect the department’s computing infrastructure, including desktops, servers, storage and backup hardware and software, security, applications and software standards; communication networks; Internet standards; equipment acquisition, installation and maintenance; and statewide technology.
“If implemented, these policies will reduce barriers to the improvement of broadband access and reliability within Yuba County. It also recommends using a public-private partnership model, leveraging state and federal grant dollars to stimulate private-sector investment in broadband network expansion,” said Ian Scott, broadband project manager for Yuba County.
With a signature, Gov. Gavin Newsom has approved several notable pieces of proposed technology legislation.
Marybel Batjer, a former secretary of the Government Operations Agency, took over the top job at the California Public Utilities Commission in August 2019. Her term wasn’t due to expire until 2027.
The entity selected has a long history of working with state and local government to improve Internet access. Here, it will focus on “developing the fiber network, creating rural exchange points, and collaborating with the California Public Utilities Commission and Caltrans” on, generally, middle-mile broadband.
Responsibilities of the position include advising and acting for the chief information officer and developing and implementing IT policies and best practices in commission offices statewide.
Upcoming Events
As cybersecurity threats become increasingly sophisticated, government agencies at all levels are facing a difficult task of securing their networks. Just look at these facts about ransomware attacks on state and local government:
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At Rubrik’s Cloud Resilience Summit, data security leaders will share how to keep cloud data resilient in the face of cyberattacks and much more
