GovReport

On the Future of Government

Digital

California Releases Open Source Tech, Data to Track COVID-19

by

California has new technology tools and data to help government agencies and the public better understand the spread and impact of COVID-19, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on June 25.

Hosted in GitHub as open-source code for the public to use, the COVID Assessment Tool (CalCAT) helps scientists and researchers see short-term forecasts, trends, and scenarios based on modeling from across the United States.   The “model of models” will help assess the spread of the disease.

The governor also directed state agencies and departments to publish machine-readable data in its open data portal (data.ca.gov) to “to make accessible nearly all COVID-19 data and information.”

Out of a page from his book “Citizenville: How to Take the Town Square Digital and Reinvent Government,” Newsom wants to use unprecedented transparency to empower the public to help.

“We’re making available the capacity, for people to participate and help build our modeling capacity,” said Gov. Newsom at a press conference live-streamed. “Because one thing we recognize is the limitless of the capacity of expertise and talent that resides throughout the State of California throughout the United States. And for that matter, throughout the rest of the world, the information that we’re now making available is exactly the information we make available to county health officials and see the information that guides the incredible work that Mike Wilkening and, DJ Patil had been doing on our team.”

“We’re. Now we’re opening up to all of you,” he continued. “We’re opening up to mathematicians. We’re opening up to people that are experts in AI and opening up to our researchers and our scientists and our Nobel laureates and our partners across the spectrum… This goes beyond flat files, goes beyond APIs, and simple protocols. We’re doing something much more dynamic, something much more interactive, something that could truly bring to life, the visualization of this data in a much more timely way. It’s rather simple. We want to make the modeling more purposeful. We want to make more applications.”

Read Thursday’s announcement here.

 

Senate Confirms GovOps Secretary Yolanda Richardson

by

On June 22, the California state senate confirmed Yolanda Richardson as Governor Newsom’s appointee as secretary for the Government Operations (GovOps) Agency. 

Richardson was appointed in January to lead the super agency that oversees the Departments of General Services, Human Resources, and Technology, among others that fall under GovOps’ oversight. Richardson becomes the second-ever GovOps secretary, succeeding Marybel Batjer, who had previously served in the role since GovOps’ creation in 2013 under Governor Jerry Brown. 

During her Senate Rules Committee confirmation hearing on June 11, Senator Scott Wilk asked Richardson how she expects technology to serve Californians in the future, particularly in the era of  COVID-19.  “I’ve read the Governor’s book, Citizenville, which was during his time as mayor where he took a lot of information and data and programs online to empower citizens,” he said.  “Do you believe that the Department of Technology should prepare for a potential onset of new IT projects, and what are we going to do to guarantee that they’re successful?”

“They should prepare for that,” Richardson said. “The California Department of Technology has realized some successes with using [the Project Approval Lifecycle (PAL)] with IT projects . . . the last 20 IT projects that the California Department of Technology has had oversight for that has utilized [PAL] came in at budget with no creeps in scope.”

Richardson also underscored the importance of the new Office of Digital Innovation, citing California’s new COVID-19 website as a recent example of successful digital innovation.

Veteran Agency CIO Andrew Armani to Retire

by

After 30 years of service to the state, Information Technology Deputy Secretary for Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency (BCSH) Andrew Armani will retire at the end of this month, he told the GovReport.

Image: Twitter

In his role with BCSH, Armani was responsible for setting policies as well as overseeing technology activities for the Agency, a consolidation of agencies that assist in licensing and regulation for businesses and professionals. 

Prior to his current role, Armani served as the director of the office of eServices, where he led initiatives that expanded service delivery via the California State Portal. Armani says one of his greatest accomplishments with eServices was creating a sense of consistency throughout the state’s online services.

“I was able to bring a uniform look and feel and branding to all executive branches’ websites,” Armani said. “This was accomplished by bringing a handful of state staff volunteers to design and develop templates and provide all the tools necessary to agencies.”

Armani graduated from California State University, Chico with a degree in Electronics and Computer Technology, which led him to a career in the private sector managing software engineers in the development of enterprise applications and network architecture. 

Across multiple roles and decades in information technology, Armani noted that “change is the only constant in IT.” 

The most significant change from the beginning of his career, he said, was “moving on from [on-premises software] to cloud,” a mass migration that has taken place largely in the last three years. 

One of the most significant and challenging tasks in that migration was the switch to cloud email services for California state workers.

“As the Co-chair for implementing statewide email consolidation, we were able to bring CAmail which was the first-ever private cloud email service to the state of California,” Armani said. “It took several years and many meetings with the various departments to accomplish the task.”

When asked what advice he would hand down to a potential successor, Armani provided a number of useful maxims gleaned from a long career with the state.

A good reminder to anyone working in technology, Armani urged that “vendors are not the enemy, establish a good relationship with them.” 

As for maintaining good standing as an executive, he said, “don’t let the power go to your head . . . [and] employees will go to any length to do what you ask them, if they respect and trust you and know you have their backs.”

Armani cites one adage above all that guided him throughout his professional career: nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Armani’s retirement will become effective June 30. 

NASCIO Report Outlines ‘Four Forces’ CIOs Should Consider for Legacy Modernization

by

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) this week issued a new report titled The State CIO Operating Model: Leveraging the Power of the Four Forces, a guide for states to consider when working on legacy modernization projects.  The advice is underscored by added pressure on government programs, such as unemployment systems, during the COVID-19 lockdown.

“The Four Forces in the Government Change Framework are Political Forces, Market Forces, Customer Forces and Inertial Forces. The Four Forces drive and influence the ability of a leader to effect change in government,” says the report. “As an enterprise leader, the state CIO must be more than aware of these forces. These forces must be managed, leveraged, explained and, when necessary, accepted.”

Michael Leahy, CIO for the State of Maryland, and Todd Kimbriel, former CIO for the State of Texas, spoke with NASCIO about the report and discuss examples in their respective states.

 

Legislation to Regulate Facial Recognition Technology Stalls

by

Assembly Bill 2261 by Assemblymember Ed Chau (D-Monterey Park), which would regulate the way government agencies use facial recognition technology (FRT), was stalled in committee this week.

Image: https://a49.asmdc.org/

Chau introduced the legislation in February to protect Californians’ privacy as the use of FRT grows with rising ethical concerns.

“While FRT technology has existed for decades, only recently has it begun to pervade our everyday lives at an exponential rate. From assisting smartphone users in unlocking their phones to its use in retail stores, concerts and airports, FRT serves the purpose of identifying people for a variety of reasons,” said Chau at an informational hearing in March.  “The use of FRT, however, brings with it ethical and legal questions that we must answer, as its application becomes more prevalent in our everyday lives.”

From the May 31 Appropriations Committee analysis:

This bill regulates the use of facial recognition technology (FRT) and requires state and local agencies using or intending to use FRT to provide an accountability report demonstrating compliance with required regulations every two years. Specifically, this bill:

1) Mandates any agency using FRT obtain consent from an individual, except in certain circumstances, before enrolling an image in a facial recognition service (FRS) used in any physical premise open to the public.

2) Requires any agency using FRT to ensure any decisions made on the basis of FRT are subject to meaningful human review.

3) Provides any local or state agency that uses or intends to use FRT must provide an accountability report every two years, make that report available to the public and submit an accountability to report to an as-yet-unnamed state agency.

4) Requires the State Auditor, on or before January 1, 2023, and biannually thereafter, to conduct an independent audit and report of all state and local agencies deploying FRT to evaluate compliance with the mandates of this bill. 

5) Requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to bring injunctive action against any person or entity that violates the requirements of this bill. Civil penalties include $2,500 for each violation and $7,500 for any intentional violation of this bill.

New Policy Aims for 75 Percent of State Workers to Telework, Report Says

by

Just as California state offices began reopening on Wednesday in the wake of the COVID-19 shutdown and the recent protests sparked by George Floyd’s death, the California Department of Human Resources announced that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration wants 75 percent of workers to telework, according to a report by the Sacramento Bee.

SEIU Local 1000 included such a proposal in its negotiations with the Newsom Administration over budget cuts which asked for “departments to have 75 percent of their Local 1000 represented staff on telework. [The proposal] Would also require that departments with employees ineligible to work from home provide flexibility around schedules though [sic] alternative work weeks and/or flexible work hours,” according to its website.

In his budget proposal announcement on May 14, Gov. Newsom introduced the idea of increased teleworking, spurred on by the working adaptations forced by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This transformation will allow for expanded long-term telework strategies, increased modernization and delivery of government services online, reconfigured office space, reduced leased space, and when possible, flexible work schedules for employees,” Newsom said.

The expansion of state teleworking, called telecommuting in statute, is not just a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea was mentioned by Legislature in 1990 as a way to navigate working through emergencies and to ease traffic congestion and environmental problems caused by work commutes.

In the California Telecommuting Pilot Program report, published in 1990, the Department of General Services (DGS) found that teleworking effectiveness exceeded their expectations, improving the quality of work life for telecommuters and cutting down on aforementioned traffic and environmental problems.

The report also recommended the state establish a State Telecommuting Advisory Agency. However, three decades later, no such agency has been created, and statutory authority for telecommuting policy belongs to DGS.

Despite plans for increased teleworking moving forward, state offices must remain open from at least 8 a.m to 5 p.m. to conduct business, per California law.

CHP Chief Information Officer Scott Howland to Retire

by

After nearly 30 years of service, California Highway Patrol (CHP) Chief Information Officer (CIO) Dr. Scott Howland will retire effective July 1, the department has confirmed.

Howland began his career with the CHP in 1990, training to become an officer and eventually rising to the rank of captain in 2004, where he served as the CHP’s representative to California State Legislature and United States Congress for four and a half years.

Howland served as the department’s assistant chief for close to five and a half years before assuming his current position as CIO, where he has served since May 2014.

While serving as CIO, Howland has overseen IT policy and procurement for the CHP and led the implementation of the California Accident Reporting System, the state’s automated collision reporting system.

Howland also oversaw the redesign of the CHP’s website and worked to deter cybercrime as leader of the Computer Crimes Investigation Unit.

Prior to joining the CHP, Howland worked from 1985 to 1990 in various roles at Oakland’s KTVU 2 news, while simultaneously earning his bachelor’s degree in radio and television at San Francisco State University.

Furthering his education, Howland enrolled at the University of La Verne in 2011 to earn his master’s degree in business and later an educational doctorate in organizational leadership.

The CHP has chosen Assistant Chief Chris Childs to succeed Howland as new CIO in command of the Information Management Division, effective on Howland’s July 1 retirement.

Udaya Patnaik Appointed First Director of California’s Office of Digital Innovation

by

California has its first director for the Office of Digital Innovation, the Governor’s Office announced on Wednesday:

Udaya Patnaik, 46, of San Mateo, has been appointed director of the Office of Digital Innovation at the Government Operations Agency. Patnaik has been co-founder, senior partner and chief financial officer at Jump Associates since 1998. He was rural development specialist at the Rural Community Assistance Corporation from 1995 to 1998. Patnaik is an editorial advisory board member of TEDMED, an international advisory board member of Fundación Chile, and a member of the boards of KABOOM! and Just Human Productions. This position does not require Senate confirmation and the compensation is $197,700. Patnaik is a Democrat.

Newsom created the Office of Digital Innovation last year as part of his first budget proposal upon taking office.  According to the Government Operations Agency website, the office is described as “a start-up inside state government focused on improving services for the people of California. We’ll do this through a human-centered approach to design and technology, and by attracting a team of diverse, passionate individuals who will inspire a modern culture of service delivery.”

California Seeks COVID-19 Technology Solutions, Launches Portal to Gather Ideas

by

The California Department of Technology is seeking technology solutions in response to COVID-19, launching a portal (https://tech.covid19.ca.gov) to gather ideas from the vendor community.

According to a statement on the portal:

The State of California is interested in learning more about potential case management/CRM software solutions for COVID-19 contact tracing. Solutions should be scalable, proven, easy to learn and use, and HIPAA-compliant, with strong role management, the ability to easily configure COVID-19-specific scripts and alerts, the ability to easily support 3rd party integrations, and features (such as automated two-way messaging) that can help maximize the productivity of contact tracing staff.

The State is also interested in learning about potential solutions for contact tracing call center operations and management, including the ability to operate a HIPAA-compliant virtual call center with home-based agents, ramp up new staff quickly, and provide them with the support necessary to be successful.

See the state’s new portal for more information here: https://tech.covid19.ca.gov

CDT Hires Carlos Isaac Cabrera as Geographic Information Officer

by

The California Department of Technology has appointed Carlos Isaac Cabrera as the state geographic information officer (GIO), a newly-created position tasked with overseeing the regional distribution of technology funding and service delivery throughout the state.

The appointment of Cabrera follows the recommendation in 2019 by the Little Hoover Commission (LHC) to create a GIO position to coordinate the state’s geographic information systems (GIS), which collects geo-spatial data and allocated technology services accordingly. 

In their Oct. 2019 report titled “Mapping a Strategy for GIS,” the LHC also recommended the state create a GIS advisory council comprised of “government leaders and other stakeholders” and noted that the state’s GIS strategy was “inconsistent, and lacks centralization and coordination.”

The state originally named a GIO when the GIS program was created in 2009, but the position was absorbed by the chief information officer until the state began recruiting for a full-time GIO this past February.

Cabrera, an alumni of California State University, Fresno, most recently served for over four years as the GIS administrator for Contra Costa County where he managed a broad-based enterprise GIS used by various departments across the county.

Pedro Nava, chair of the LHC, applauded Cabrera’s appointment as GIS, saying in a statement released on April 28 that “we called for a dedicated, full-time GIO position, and we’re pleased to see Mr. Cabrera’s appointment. Though we hope to see the position elevated as outlined in our report, we are encouraged by this action and wish Mr. Cabrera the best as he steps into this critical role.”