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California outlines future of artificial intelligence

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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.

At a recent vendor forum by the California Department of Technology, Chief of Statewide Technology Policy CDT Pam Haase gave an update on the department’s initiative, which began earlier in the year but was slowed down considerably by constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Image by Michael Dziedzic, Unsplash

Haase laid out three broad objectives regarding the implementation of AI to state departments, each of which has a varying level of understanding and experience with AI technology.

Those objectives include:

Demonstrating how AI can improve delivery and digital services. CDT has partnered with the CITRIS Policy Lab to study industry use of AI and produce a report that outlines basic recommendations for AI adoption within state government.

Providing guidelines for the ethical and responsible use of AI. CDT wants to establish trust from the public in their ability to implement AI in an ethical manner.
Providing a practical approach to implementing AI. This includes creating an AI vendor pool, training for both the business and technical side of procuring and implementing the new technology.

Haase also noted that she expects a concrete policy framework regarding the use of AI to become available by the spring of 2021 following input from the public via a listening session.

In an effort to cater to varying needs statewide, Haase stressed that AI will provide value to any and all departments regardless of their awareness and experience level with the technology.

“The deliverables are going to provide something of value to everyone no matter where you’re at, whether you’re brand new to AI, or whether your department is already currently using it,” Haase said.

Further, according to CDT’s Chief Technology Innovation Officer Manveer Bola, who also spoke at the forum, one of the major priorities regarding the implementation of AI technology is to tailor digital services to meet “specific user needs.”

Part of that includes using AI to promote web diversity by quickly and accurately translating websites as well as providing customer service mimicking a one-on-one chat with an employee.

Another goal Bola mentioned was to use AI to gather COVID response surveys, even reading into them further than one would expect from AI.

“We’re looking at AI to try to help us boil down those responses into much more meaningful output that we can consume easier, maybe even measuring sentiment,” Bola said.

Appliance energy standards targeted in latest lawsuit against feds

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A lawsuit was filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, along with a coalition of 15 attorney generals and New York City, on November 9 to challenge the Department of Energy’s (DoE) “failure to review and amend energy standards” for 25 product categories of consumer and industrial products. The product categories include refrigerators, heaters, air conditioners, electric motors, and more.

The DoE has violated the Energy Policy and Conservation Act by missing several mandatory deadlines for reviewing and updating the standards, according to the lawsuit.

“For the better part of four years, the Trump Administration has utilized a playbook of delay and deception to block energy efficiency standards that make household appliances like refrigerators and washing machines cheaper to run,” said Becerra. “The Trump Administration is required by law to strengthen these standards… we won’t let the Department of Energy continue neglecting its responsibilities.”

Energy experts estimate updating the energy efficiency standards could save more than $580 billion and eliminate more than two billion metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.
Becerra Led a multistate coalition on May 15, 2020, in filing a comment letter criticizing the DoE for wasting resources on prioritizing the process for its energy efficiency rulemakings while failing to complete the rulemakings.

CAISO changes leadership structure

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Beginning Monday, November 9, the California Independent System Operator (ISO) will reorganize its executive-level leadership structure with the hope of better management of the state’s electricity grid.

Under the Chief Operating Officer (COO), the restructuring will bring together several critical functions including market policy, planning, operations, technology, and program management, according to a news release. A new leadership team designed the structure to promote more efficient integration and coordination across these key functions.

“This restructuring will give us the opportunity to look at our roles and responsibilities from a fresh perspective and enhance alignment and integration from market policy to system dispatch,” said Mark Rothleder, who begins his new COO position on November 9.

The reorganization is a blend of promotions, duty expansions, and interim appointments; all positions will report to Rothleder.

President and CEO Elliot Mainzer, who started at the ISO on September 30, 2020, will oversee the reorganized structure, allowing him to focus on strategy, culture and stakeholder engagement.

“I would like to congratulate [my team] on their executive promotions and to thank the other members… who have stepped into new roles to support this reorganization,” said Mainzer.

Additionally, Mainzer will be able to strengthen ISO’s capacity by integrating new resources and enhancing reliability while switching to a decarbonized electricity grid.

 

Report on California Wildfire Costs Released

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California’s wildfire losses and their associated costs could be more than double what’s been reported, according to the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST). In it’s recently-released report, “The Costs of Wildfire in California: An Independent Review of Scientific and Technical Information,” CCST states that the data currently available fails to account for unquantifiable losses, such as public health impacts, resulting in inaccurate costs.

The 248-page report challenges current fire management policies by providing a thorough framework to enable policymakers to assess wildfire losses more effectively. The document also suggests opportunities to strengthen wildfire management policies and invest in stronger prevention and mitigation strategies moving forward.

CCST is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization established by the California State Legislature for the purpose of using science and technology to strengthen policymaking. The full report, as well as an executive summary and one-pager, can be found at the CCST website.

CAISO Calls Statewide FlexAlert for Thursday from 3pm to 10pm

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The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has called a Statewide FlexAlert for today, seeking statewide energy conservation from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m., as the National Weather Service predicts high heat across the State.

The FlexAlert is a call for voluntary electricity conservation, in anticipation of higher than normal electricity demand from due to anticipated high temperatures statewide.

The FlexAlert is happening at the same time that Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has declared a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event in Northern California.  This is the first time that both a PSPS and FlexAlert have occurred at the same time.

See CAISO news release.

 

CAISO, CPUC, CEC Issue Preliminary Report on August Blackouts

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The Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee will be holding an oversight hearing with the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), and California Energy Commission (CEC) aimed at reviewing a report on the rolling blackouts triggered in August.

The Preliminary Root Cause Analysis  121 page report issued by the three energy agencies today offered the following three key findings:

  1. The climate change-induced extreme heat storm across the western United States resulted in the demand for electricity exceeding the existing electricity resource planning targets. The existing resource planning processes are not
    designed to fully address an extreme heat storm like the one experienced in mid-August.
  2. In transitioning to a reliable, clean, and affordable resource mix, resource planning targets have not kept pace to lead to sufficient resources that can be relied upon to meet demand in the early evening hours. This makes balancing
    demand and supply more challenging. These challenges were amplified by the extreme heat storm.
  3. Some practices in the day-ahead energy market exacerbated the supply challenges under highly stressed conditions.

The hearing is scheduled for October 12, 2020, at 10 a.m. in the Assembly Chamber.   The Committee agenda can be found here: Agenda Details

As we reported following the outages of August 14 and 15, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom directed the energy agencies to look at what went wrong, including within their organizations.  In their initial joint assessment, the three entities promised a “deeper dive” full review — this report is the “deep dive.”

In addition, CAISO said they will host a stakeholder call on October 13, 2020, to discuss the report.

Govreport will provide coverage of this hearing.

California chief data officer announces statewide data strategy

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California has a new statewide data strategy that boldly challenges some established ideas in the civic tech community, Chief Data Officer Joy Bonaguro announced on Thursday.

“The concept of a strategy is overused and often trite. But if used wisely, it can lead to durable change and it starts with goals.  The mantra ‘the strategy is delivery’ frequently appears in the civic tech and data space. And while the delivery of a strategy is important, that alone is not enough,” she said in an article she posted on Medium.

The 21-page document outlines a strategy, goals, governance, and overall approach to California state government’s use of data to serve people of the Golden State.   As a first such strategy, it is a “necessary best guess,” that the state plans to iterate and learn as it’s implemented.

“California’s statewide data strategy is structured around the analogy that in order to successfully navigate the ‘data landscape’ we need to intentionally build the roads, craft the rules of the road, and boost the drivers. Much like in the real world, we want to avoid data roads that lead to nowhere, are poorly maintained, or confuse our drivers,” according to the introduction.

She states that goals answer the question “are we there yet” and that a well-written strategy serves as glue, alignment, and a filter. A goal that is not aligned with the strategy should either be discarded or placed low on the list of priorities.

High-level goals include:

  • Goal 1. Streamline data access – build the data roads
  • Goal 2. Improve data management and governance – craft the rules of the road
  • Goal 3. Spur data use and ability –  boost the drivers

“Good use of data is the tool we can use to navigate that complexity and ensure that our programs and services are working well for all Californians,” says Bonaguro in her article.

She gave a preview of the strategy in August via a Zoom with the CalData community. 

 

SoCalGas Natural Gas Storage Near Capacity

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According to the US Energy Information Administration, SoCalGas natural gas inventories were about 79 billion cubic feet (Bcf) at the end of September. SOCalGas storage facilities are now 94% full and 6 billion cubic feet greater than this time last year.

While SoCalGas natural gas inventories are slightly lower than 2018, they were more than 16 Bcf higher than levels in 2016 and in 2017. Following the leak at Aliso Canyon in 2015, significant limitations were placed on SoCalGas’ largest storage facility.

In addition, the company has now returned line 235-2 into service. This vintage, 1957 pipeline, which runs approximately 50 miles between Victorville to east of Barstow. SoCalGas also has back in operation Line 4000, which extends from east of Barstow to Cajon. The company plans for the line to be operational soon.

With improvements to the gas pipelines and storage close to capacity, the company seems to be in great position to provide customers with gas during the winter months.

Newsom Executive Order Bans Gas-Fueled Vehicles by 2035 and Fracking by 2024

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Governor Gavin Newsom today (9/23) called for a ban on the sale of new gasoline-fueled vehicles beginning in 2035.  Newsom said he is directing the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to establish regulations requiring that all new cars and passenger trucks sold in California in 2035 be zero-emission vehicles.

Gov. Newsom held a press conference in Sacramento on September 23 to announce the executive order. Image: YouTube.com

Newsom is also asking the Legislature to implement a fracking ban by 2024.  This direction comes in response to ongoing criticism from environmentalists that California isn’t doing enough to stop the use and production of fossil fuels in the State.

During his press conference, Newsom said:  “This is the most impactful step our state can take to fight climate change.”

Update at 120pm

From Governor Newsom’s Press Release:

“Following the order, CARB will develop regulations to mandate that 100 percent of in-state sales of new passenger cars and trucks are zero-emission by 2035 – a target which would achieve more than a 35 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an 80 percent improvement in oxides of nitrogen emissions from cars statewide.  In addition, CARB will develop regulations to mandate that all operations of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles shall be 100 percent zero emission by 2045 where feasible, with the mandate going into effect by 2035 for drayage trucks.  To ensure needed infrastructure to support zero-emission vehicles, the order requires state agencies, in partnership with the private sector, to accelerate deployment of affordable fueling and charging options. It also requires support of new and used zero-emission vehicle markets to provide broad accessibility to zero-emission vehicles for all Californians.  The executive order will not prevent Californians from owning gasoline-powered cars or selling them on the used car market.

By the time the new rule goes into effect, zero-emission vehicles will almost certainly be cheaper and better than the traditional fossil fuel powered cars. The upfront cost of electric vehicles are projected to reach parity with conventional vehicles in just a matter of years, and the cost of owning the car – both in maintenance and how much it costs to power the car mile for mile – is far less than a fossil fuel burning vehicle.

The executive order sets clear deliverables for new health and safety regulations that protect workers and communities from the impacts of oil extraction. It supports companies who transition their upstream and downstream oil production operations to cleaner alternatives. It also directs the state to make sure taxpayers are not stuck with the bill to safely close and remediate former oil fields. To protect the health and safety of our communities and workers, the Governor is also asking the Legislature to end the issuance of new hydraulic fracturing permits by 2024.

The executive order directs state agencies to develop strategies for an integrated, statewide rail and transit network, and incorporate safe and accessible infrastructure into projects to support bicycle and pedestrian options, particularly in low-income and disadvantaged communities.”

Note:  The text of today’s executive order can be found here and a copy can be found here.

California launches cannabis licensing system

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California cannabis-licensing authorities—BCC, CDFA, and CDPH—launched a unified licensing search platform on September 16, 2020. The platform was produced through a collaboration between the authorities and the California Department of Technology, the California Health and Human Services Agency Office of Innovation, and the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development.

According to the Bureau Chief, Lori Ajax, the platform makes it easier to access cannabis license information without going through each licensing authority, and it will help consumers find retailers near them.   “This unified license data search tool will make it easier for the public to access cannabis license information without having to inquire with each licensing authority separately,” Ajax said in a press release. “This will also help consumers identify licensed cannabis retailers near them.”

The search platform features an interactive map and geolocation tools. Users can submit a survey offering feedback on its usability for the authorities to refine it. The platform is updated every 24 hours.

Governor Gavin Newsom plans to improve access to cannabis licensing by consolidating the authorities into a single Department of Cannabis Control, with the search platform being a part of the overall plan.