EDD Seeks Firm to Help Improve Business Processes and Modernize Benefits System
With the hope of improving customer service after a historic surge in unemployment claims, the Employment Development Department is retooling the way Californians gain access to unemployment insurance benefits. Earlier this month, the California Department of Technology issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to hire a firm that will provide Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Services as it works to replace EDD's beleaguered claimant benefit system.
State Broadband Infrastructure to Get $5.25B Expansion
Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislative leaders have agreed to a budget trailer bill on Monday that will increase state broadband infrastructure spending by $5.25 billion, according to a press release from the Governor’s Office.
State Capitol: Major Changes Ahead for California Tech
California’s future is heavily invested in innovative technology, but numerous legacy IT systems across the state struggle to modernize, exceeding the budget, schedule, or both. Moreover, the state lacks enterprise collaboration, with countless siloed platforms such as the often-cited example of 79 separate case management systems across 22 departments.
Aspen Institute: Three ways California could improve tech project oversight
As part of a presentation by Aspen Institute’s Tech Policy Hub and the Tech Talent Project held on May 11, three teams presented concepts on how to improve California’s Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL), the state’s oversight process for large-scale technology projects. The recommendations are part of the California Department of Technology’s Vision 2023 initiative to improve the way state government uses technology to serve Californians.
Legislation seeks to address algorithm bias in state IT projects
The bill requires decision-making on the acquisition of information technology to be supplemented with a computational process that includes data analysis, statistical models, and artificial intelligence that minimizes the risk of algorithmic bias, or the “risk of adverse and discriminatory impacts resulting from the design and application of automated decision systems.”
Board Members Appointed to California’s Privacy Protection Agency
On Mar. 17, Governor Gavin Newsom, along with other state officials, announced the establishment of the California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) board and appointed five inaugural members. The new agency was created by Proposition 24 approved by California voters on Nov. 4, 2020.
New report confronts shift in workplace amid economic crisis
Governor Newsom's Future of Work Commission published its findings after 18 months of meetings across the state and staff work that identifies challenges faced by businesses and government. While started before COVID-19, the study says 2020 accelerated conditions and pushed leaders to form a "New Social Compact" for workers.
Can California get ahead of IT project failures?
California government is trying to get ahead of state IT project failures, said Chief Information Officer Amy Tong last week at a budget hearing.
New CHHS unit seeks to leverage people-related data across the state
With a mission to deliver health and human services, the state's largest agency has created a new unit to use its vast amount of data with more efficiency and sophistication.
‘My Turn’ site launched to track vaccine eligibility
The State of California has launched a new data system that will inform citizens when they are eligible and how to schedule an appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Little Hoover Commission Pushes for Sharing of Healthcare Records
The sharing of data and records between California healthcare providers has grown in the last decade, but there’s still plenty of work to be done, says the state's Little Hoover Commission.
Report: 2.3 Million Californians Lack High-Speed Internet
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has transformed internet access into a must for workers and students across the state, the Little Hoover Commission has found in their issue brief that 2.3 million Californians lack access to high-speed internet.
California outlines future of artificial intelligence
The State of California has taken initial steps to consider how artificial intelligence will play an inevitable role in delivering services to the people of the Golden State. Legislation passed in 2019 called for California to work with stakeholders and develop guidelines by January 2021.
CWS-CARES Project Director Leaving State Service
Rebecca Stilling, the project director for California’s Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) will be leaving state service this week, according to an email distributed to project staff. She will be on the job until Oct. 15, she said. Office of System Integrations Deputy Director Cynthia Tocher will step into the role as acting project director.
California Universities to Test COVID-19 Exposure Notification App
The California Department of Public Health (CPDH) and the California Department of Technology (CDT) are partnering with UC San Diego and UC San Francisco to pilot an app that could inform individuals when they may have been exposed to COVID-19.
California to Roll Out New COVID-19 Reporting System in October
California will roll out a new COVID-19 reporting system in October after it awarded a renewable six-month, $15.3-million contract to healthcare technology OptumInsight, Inc., the state announced this week. The announcement follows a recent failure of the state’s infectious disease registry CalREDIE to accurately report testing data, which reportedly resulted in the Department of Public Health director’s resignation last month.
DGS Measures Benefits of Teleworking
When the COVID-19 outbreak in March forced most state workers to telework indefinitely, the Department of General Services (DGS) took the opportunity to begin a case study tracking the impacts of working from home. Executives in the department’s IT and human resources divisions collaborated to develop a telework dashboard to visualize activities across the department.
State Chief Data Officer Outlines Vision and Goals for California’s Data Strategy
Speaking to a Zoom audience of more than 80 people at the CalData Open Meeting on Aug. 12, California Chief Data Officer Joy Bonaguro outlined the future of statewide data strategy and the goals to ensure its effectiveness moving forward.
Newsom creates ‘strike team’ to address problems with unemployment system
Amid historic COVID-19 related unemployment highs and a day before a contentious Assembly hearing on California’s unemployment system, Gov. Newsom on Wednesday announced the creation of a new strike team to address the backlog of claims and ongoing information-technology related problems. The California Department of Technology and Office of Digital Innovation will support the effort led by GovOps Secretary Yolanda Richardson and Jennifer Pahlka, former Code for America executive director who now heads U.S. Digital Response, a nonprofit organization helping government agencies respond to the COVID-19 crises. “The strike team will identify steps to transform the unemployment insurance customer experience [...]
Office of Traffic Safety Hires Jessica Chan as CIO
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) has hired Jessica Chan to become their new CIO and Chief of Administrative Services.