2016 Techwire Year in Review, Part 4

What will this year be remembered for? When the dust settles, 2016 could be a tipping point for innovation in California government, as new ideas, new leaders and new approaches began to make their imprint on the state’s technology landscape. Here’s a chronological review of the year’s biggest headlines from October and November that could have an impact in the future.

October

California Launches Web-Based System for Filing Political Complaints

The state Fair Political Practices Commission announces a new Web-based system for members of the public, on a mission to improve the process for reporting suspected violations of California campaign and political laws. Optimized for mobile devices, the new electronic form enables users to quickly file complaints and saves staff time in the Enforcement Division that was once dedicated to entering the forms manually.

State Looks Ahead to ‘CalCloud 3.0’

California officials are moving forward with adding new features to the state cloud for its third iteration, referred to as “CalCloud 3.0.” The system will move toward offering a “hybrid community cloud” model and allowing staff to take on more responsibility over support of the system. In addition, this hybrid cloud will blend features of the public cloud, which can store nonconfidential data, and the on-premise private cloud that has requisite security for sensitive data and mission-critical systems.

Cruz Named California Deputy State CIO

As part of a reorganization of the California Department of Technology, Chris Cruz, the agency’s chief deputy director of operations, expands his role to include deputy state CIO. Cruz’s work with California state government totals to more than a decade, most recently serving as the CIO at the Department of Health Care Services. He’s also filled the CIO position at the Department of Food and Agriculture and worked as an IT manager for the Department of Health Care Services.

California Appoints Commander for Cybersecurity Integration Center

Col. Keith Tresh will serve as commander of the California Cybersecurity Integration Center in the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services. Tresh previously served as CIO of the High-Speed Rail Authority, his most recent position, and as the state’s chief information security officer at the then-California Technology Agency from 2011 to 2013.

November

First Project Completes Department of Technology’s New Approval Process

A system replacement underway at the Department of Fair Employment and Housing is the first IT project statewide to complete the California Department of Technology’s four-step Project Approval Lifecycle process. Fair Employment and Housing began work on the requirements validation for a new case management system used to manage thousands of discrimination complaints.

Newsom Calls on State to Firewall Data from Trump Administration

Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom calls on California to create a “firewall” to prevent the release of state-level data that the president-elect’s administration could potentially use to identify undocumented residents. Newsom says data that must be protected extends to personal information of students eligible under the Dream Act who are enrolled at CSU, UC and community colleges, as well as Cal Grant recipients and undocumented persons who applied for and received drivers’ licenses under the state’s AB 60 legislation.

GovOps Secretary Touts Agile Development

On the main stage at the Code for America Summit in Oakland, Government Operations Agency Secretary Marybel Batjer shares the story of how the state decided to shift to agile for procurement and development of the California child welfare system. She also notes that the state has been working on the RFP for a traditional waterfall IT procurement process for a period of three years, and that the document is on its seventh version.


Read part 1, part 2 and part 3 of our year in review, covering the first half of 2016.