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California Updates Telework Policy Amid Crisis

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For the first time in more than 10 years, California has updated its telework policy for state employees.  The Government Operations Agency posted the new policy on its website last week.

Advocates say the new policy reflects the realization that enabling remote work allows for better response to disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic, enhances workforce diversity and improves work-life balance for employees, among other benefits, ranging from the health of the environment to reduced operational costs.

“COVID showed us that short-term is not the same as long-term disaster planning,” said John O’Duinn, a telework expert and strategist with Lafayette-based CivicActions and hired by the state to help update the policy. “When you close the office for 18 months, people expect government services to keep working even if a human can’t get into a government building. To do that you need a policy that says this is a standard way of working for the organization, not just a perk for some.”

The update also considers the fact that the workforce has changed, with millennials dominating the ranks, followed by Gen Zers, who are accustomed to using digital technologies and believe there is no such thing as a job for life. O’Duinn, author of “Distributed Teams, the Art and Practice of Working Together While Physically Apart”, said it also signals a move from outdated notions that only highly trusted, senior-level workers are allowed to work remotely or that remote work is associated with low productivity.

The policy assumes managers will shift their focus from counting “butts in seats” to measuring results that matter and that can be realized with telework arrangements and distributed teams of employees. O’Duinn cited the shutdown of DMV offices during the pandemic and the department’s shift to enable the public to do most DMV business online.

“People found a way to keep doing the work to keep the wheels of government turning,” he said.

State departments, agencies and other offices have one year to adapt the new telework framework for their own department operations and collective bargaining agreements. Each will determine which of their employees will be eligible for a telework arrangement based on the types of activities they do, whether their work requires them to have a public presence or if data required for their job could pose a security risk when accessed offsite.

A worker who prints new drivers’ licenses would not be eligible to telework, for example, and would be designated an “office-centered” worker. Other employees who enter data, answer telephones, write, edit, design or deliver services virtually would be more appropriate for telework arrangements, and be designated “remote-centered.” Departments will ensure teleworkers have the equipment they need to work at alternative sites, which may include ergonomic desks, chairs and computer and other office equipment.

Department managers are being asked to consider how telework arrangements will affect department efficiency and the effectiveness of project teams. Single parents, for example, are less likely to miss work and more productive if they can eliminate time-sucking commutes that make it hard to juggle parenting or other caregiving needs that occur during the workday.

O’Duinn said telework opportunities also attract a far more diverse set of job applicants, including people who do not live close to urban centers and people with physical disabilities. Military spouses, who face three times the unemployment rates as other workers because of frequent relocations, will also benefit from state jobs that can be done remotely.

In addition to potential cost savings on office space, O’Duinn said taking commuter cars off the road has significant environmental impacts. According to the state’s telework dashboard, of 15 state departments tracking their telework rates, 15,000 state employees (95%) are teleworking some or all of the time, which translates to 612 metric tons of CO2 emissions avoided per week.

Image: The Ziggurat Building, home to the Departments of General Services and Technology.  Source: iStockphoto.com

Governor Signs Bill to Develop Offshore Wind Industry

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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill to help develop offshore wind (OSW), AB 525, into law—along with several other bills related to clean energy and environmental preparedness efforts.

AB 525, introduced by Assemblymember David Chiu in February, requires state agencies—including the California Energy Commission (CEC)—to develop and establish a five-part strategic plan for offshore wind resources in California. The plan is to be submitted to the Natural Resources Agency (NRA) and the Legislature by June 30, 2023.

According to the 2021 SB 100 Joint Agency Report issued earlier this year, 10 GW of offshore wind energy developments led to a reduction in resource costs by approximately $1 billion.

“AB 525 would further the state’s goal of 100% clean energy by 2045 by planning for the development of utility-scale offshore wind energy in the state,” says Chiu. “California has fallen behind and has yet to make a significant investment in offshore wind power. This is despite the fact that offshore wind could create over ten thousand jobs in the green economy and accelerate progress toward the state’s clean energy and decarbonization requirements.

Supporters of the bill noted that offshore wind energy is a critical part of California achieving its clean energy goals, while also highlighting the potential for job creation in the OSW industry.

Earlier in September, Newsom presented a revised 2021-2022 budget to account for California’s accelerated pushed toward meeting its energy goals, with $20 million being allocated “to spur environmentally responsible development of offshore wind energy.”

Does California Need a Data Academy?

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State explores new ways to boost IT talent.

Whether it’s a city IT department or a state technology office, it’s not easy for the government to hire capable talent. The California economy is competitive. It brims with nearly 1.9 million tech jobs, boasts the most tech companies out of any state, and on average, pays tech workers 78 percent more than all other occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

In this private-vs-public sector tug of war, California IT departments battle to capture top candidates. In a Deloitte panel discussion last month, Joy Bonaguro, California’s chief data officer, laid out a few strategic plays the state has set in motion to find the next generation of tech talent. The methods include an assortment of modernized contracting agreements, the launch of a workforce development program called the Cal Data Academy, and a zealous push to market rewarding, mission-driven jobs.

California’s desire to add and upskill technologists—and in Bonaguro’s case, data analysts, data architects, and data scientists—is motivated by more than efficiency. It’s about adaptation. To react and respond to disruptive technologies like artificial intelligence, demands, and emergencies, Bonaguro said departments require a reservoir of expertise, or what she described as “resiliency.”

“A big part of data resiliency is lifting and upskilling and creating common competencies across your staff so you can rotate those people [into different roles and projects],” Bonaguro said. “We can’t forget the human component when we’re talking about data resiliency.”

1. Jobs with p­urpose

This human-centric approach, she explained, means offering exceptional people equally exceptional pursuits.

Bonaguro said that since the state can’t compete with Silicon Valley on benefits, she’s working to structure positions around purpose and impact. It’s an overlooked but important advantage the public sector has over the private sector she said. Health, education, housing, transportation, safety, these quintessential qualities of life elements are all in the public sector’s domain.

“While we can never compete on salary we can compete on mission, so there becomes a marketing play around the work that we’re doing,” she said.

In contrast, Bonaguro said she has seen how the private sector can at times struggle to craft meaningful IT roles. For instance, at Google, one common criticism levied by employees is a glut of overqualified workers. The company’s brand recognition and high pay often command the best applicants, but the work doesn’t always match abilities. Employees have criticized Google for relegating highly educated staff to tasks like tech support or social media monitoring.

“I’ve talked to data scientists who have worked in the private sector, and they’re kind of doing the same boring things over and over again,” Bonaguro said. “The sheer number-rich volume of questions to explore in the public sector is really cool and exciting and fun and so I think that’s quite a compelling value proposition for a lot of people.”

Yet the state’s goal to attract, hire and retain skilled tech workers isn’t just about pitching an appealing message. Bonaguro said the positions needed to be designed in a way to merit the marketing. Job titles and descriptions need to be modernized to mirror similar positions in the private sector.

For example, she said that where possible, data workers specializing in business intelligence should have roles connected to decision-making offices, something that hasn’t always been the case.

“I strongly would argue that data teams do not belong in technology [departments],” Bonaguro said. “They impact business change and business opportunity and so I think they should sit within and be closely tied to the [state’s] business and lay outside the operational pressures of your typical IT shop.”

She estimated that the update to job descriptions could take a year, to a year-and-a-half, based on California’s positions.

2. Cal Data Academy

Next, Bonaguro spoke of a workforce development initiative she called the “Cal Data Academy.” The state has yet to officially announce the program, but when launched, it will provide technical data analytics training and tools for California staff. The idea is to develop qualified, in-house data professionals for departments and offices. Bonaguro said the project is still in its infancy, but her aim is to spearhead the Cal Data Academy’s development so the state can leverage its current talent more effectively.

“I’m working to create development pathways for existing workforce, and so we’re working on scoping out the Cal Data Academy, which will be an internal training and professional development program,” Bonaguro said. “We’re just starting on that so I don’t want to get in front of myself, but we can say, there’s plenty of existing analytical talent that might just need the right access to tools or the right framing for how to talk with business [decision makers].”

Bonaguro said to create the Cal Data Academy she’ll be leaning on her time in San Francisco where she served as the city’s first chief data officer, from 2014 to 2018. Her work in San Francisco entailed a range of data and open data initiatives, efforts that were supported by a data coordinator program she instituted from the outset.

Under San Francisco’s Data Coordinator program, Bonaguro met with internal and external stakeholders to triage the city’s data needs, then recruited volunteers to be data coordinators—staff who could help inventory, interpret, publish, and manage data in their respective departments.

“When I was in San Francisco, we worked to sort of level and upskill armies of analysts on similar tools and approaches,” Bonaguro said. “In California, we’re just not at that stage yet. We’re still early in the data strategy.”

3. Smart Contracting

When in-house technical expertise isn’t available, the final option is to find outside contractors. In this effort, Bonaguro said the state is also trying to modernize its operations to be as smart and agile as possible. Bonaguro said this involves looking at the contracting process and ensuring it gives the state maximum flexibility.

Those familiar with government procurements know contractors—whether companies or individuals—are often challenged with complex regulation and red tape before they can secure a contract. The process alone can be deal-breaking and eliminate newer, innovative companies, startups, and professionals who don’t have the resources, time, legal expertise, or patience to deal with bureaucracy. Their solutions could be vastly cheaper, answer a need more effectively, and yet be altogether discarded due to a traditional procurement regulation.

Bonaguro said her team is planning to issue unique contracts that will allow California the flexibility to hire modern contractors as needed.

“The state issues what are called service contracts, global service contracts, where the state can essentially bring in and hire end contractors,” Bonaguro said. “And so we have updated and modernized [this contracting tool] and we’ll be re-issuing that so it becomes sort of a vehicle in which using modern job descriptions the state can access talent.”

KPMG Wins Contract to Redesign EDD Claims Processing

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The State of California intends to award a multi-million dollar IT Services contract to KPMG, LLC, for Business Process Re-Engineering (BPR) at the Employment Development Department, according to state procurement records.

KPMG will be tasked with retooling the way Californians access and track their unemployment benefits, overhauling a system that failed disastrously during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving vulnerable citizens in the lurch.

In August, EDD issued a Request for Proposal that “seeks to assess, analyze, and redesign the business processes that impact the customer experience into a customer-centric business framework that leverages improvements and supporting technologies to deliver world-class customer service.”

EDD wants to improve service delivery, eliminate unnecessary complexity in their service process, and reduce administrative burden, among other needs, according to the RFP.

Since the early days of the COVID-19 Pandemic, EDD has been criticized for failing to deliver unemployment benefits and losing over $10 billion in unemployment fraud, according to a Jan. 2021 statement.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Gov. Newsom signed more than 40 bills that “will enable the Employment Development Department to bolster fraud prevention, further protect claimants from identity theft and better position the state to respond to future economic downturns.”

‘Dig Once’ Legislation Aims to Accelerate Broadband Deployment, Awaits Action by Governor

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Legislation intended to accelerate the deployment of broadband infrastructure by calling for a “Dig Once” policy has passed the Legislature and currently awaits final action by Gov. Newsom.  Assembly Bill (AB) 41 by Assemblymember Jim Wood (D-Santa Rosa) proposes to follow practices used in other states to minimize the number of excavations when installing telecommunications infrastructure.

“The lack of broadband availability has always been a serious problem, but never has it revealed itself as so critical as we face the many challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Wood in his Facebook post when first proposing the legislation. “There are many areas of the state that do not have access to the internet at all and many that have substandard connections. We need to connect children to schools and libraries, hospitals and clinics with our healthcare workforce and ensure access for people in our low-income and disabled communities.”

“One way is to take a look at already existing Department guidelines that may require us to address some steps they have taken that may not be facilitating installation of conduit in the most effective way,” said Wood in a press release last year.

AB-41 requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to install conduit for fiber communications lines as part of projects to build a state-owned middle-mile broadband network. This bill also requires the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) to update broadband maps to specified information about local broadband service.

AB-41 had support from other entities including California Forward Action Fund, California Telehealth Network, First 5 California, Greater Oxnard Organization of Democrats, and the Marin County Board of Supervisors.

Other proponents of the bill include Livable California, who expressed support of AB 41 in a letter to the Assembly Committee of Transportation Chair, Laura Friedman.

Part of the letter from Livable California’s board of directors reads:

“AB 41 is a significant bill to help reduce inequality caused by California’s persistent digital divide. Rural communities with low population density and low-income residents lack broadband, leaving 2.3 million Californians without broadband access.

 Livable California strongly supports teleworking and broadband expansion. We have seen major benefits of teleworking during the pandemic and expect teleworking to continue to be a popular alternative for employees and employers, long after the pandemic is over.

 Teleworking allows people more choice of location and lifestyle. It provides geographic and economic equity to communities across California that have, until now, not been able to participate in the economic benefits of the high-cost over-concentrated urban centers.”

CTIA—a trade association representing the wireless communications industry—opposed the bill, expressing concerns that it is “duplicative of existing broadband mapping efforts” and that data needs for effective broadband deployment are not addressed by the bill’s data collection and reporting requirements. CTIA would only support the bill if it were revised to “better align data collection and reporting to federal standards and eliminate unnecessary data reporting.”

The legislation did not receive any “no” votes on the senate or assembly floors.

New Mobile App Gives California Residents a Warning Seconds Before Quakes Hit

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When it comes to emergencies, especially natural disasters, seconds can mean the difference between life and death.

MyShake is a mobile app that alerts California residents a few seconds before an earthquake hits, allowing time to take cover or get to a nearby safe spot.

The mobile app is managed by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). According to Cal OES Director Mark Ghilarducci, the MyShake app is the country’s first publicly available statewide earthquake warning system.

“Cal OES’s leadership facilitated making warnings publicly available. The public can now have moments of warning before previously unexpected natural disasters. It is changing the world of mitigation and emergency management,” said Ghilarducci in a press release.

MyShake uses statewide ground-motion sensors to sense earthquakes before humans can feel the tremors and sends an alert to users’ phones to “drop, cover, and hold on.”

As a reminder to how important earthquake safety is, The Great Shakeout Earthquake drills (a worldwide movement) are generally held on the third Thursday of October, falling on October 21 this year. MyShake app users are able to register and participate in these drills and will receive a “test warning” at 10:15am that morning with “guidance to Drop, Cover, and Hold on.”

According to Cal OES, the appropriate safety responses to an earthquake are as follows:

  • Drop onto your hands and knees where you are
  • Cover your head and neck with one arm and hand
  • Crawl underneath a nearby sturdy table or desk for shelter
  • If no shelter is nearby, crawl next to an interior wall (away from windows)
  • Stay on your knees, bend over to protect vital organs
  • Hold on until shaking stops
  • While under shelter: hold on to it with one hand and be ready to move with your shelter if it shifts
  • No shelter: hold on to your head and neck with both arms and hands

Visit www.earthquake.ca.gov for more information about the MyShake app and earthquake preparedness.

California Launches Dedicated Small Business Portal

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Small businesses make up 99.8 percent of businesses in California, and in order to help them thrive, the state wants to make its publicly-funded resources easier to access.

The California Office of the Small Business Advocate (CalOSBA) announced that it has launched calosba.ca.gov, a portal for small business owners to seek out critical resources such as permits, financing information, and technical assistance.

“Small business is big business in the state of California and to that end, my department is meeting the needs of the more than 4 million small business owners by making resources easier to find, access, and use. Our new website can be thought of as a gateway to opportunity,” CalOSBA Director Tara Lynn Gray said in a press release.

Additional resources include information on tax and credit, incentives, access to procurement and supply chain programs, as well as a Business Learning Center that “helps business owners navigate the varying stages of the business development process.”

CalOSBA.ca.gov divides its resources into three tabs: start-up, manage and grow. Each tab contains a multitude of guides and resources that help small business owners start with the basics such as making a business plan, manage an existing business with how-tos on training employees, and growing a business with step-by-step on how to establish an online presence.

In addition to those resources, CalOSBA also offers free one-on-one consulting that will help small business owners learn to fund their businesses, enter new markets, and to strengthen their operations.

According to data collected from 2018 to 2020, CalOSBA’s network has helped over 330,000 small businesses and created over 11,000 new jobs.

Prior to the opening of CalOSBA’s new portal, the Office announced three additional rounds for the California Small Business COVID-19 Relief Grant Program.

CDT Hires Deputy State Chief Technology Innovation Officer

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The California Department of Technology (CDT) recently hired a new Deputy State Chief Technology Innovation Officer, Phoebe Peronto, who began in her new role on September 20.

Prior to working for CDT, Peronto served more than one and a half years at Tanium, where she was director of special projects and then head of global communications.

Rick Klau, State Chief Technology Information Officer, says that Peronto’s energy has great compatibility with the team.

“Phoebe brings unmatched skill, energy, and creativity to her new role,” says Klau. “She joins a vibrant team that is revolutionizing the way state government is serving Californians through technology.”

Peronto has experience working with other tech giants including Salesforce and Google, and she has even served an internship in the U.S. Senate.

But she is excited for her upcoming journey with the CDT, as she will be able to enhance how Californians interact with the state government.

“I consider joining this team a privilege,” said Peronto, “We have the opportunity to make scalable and measurable impact statewide that will dramatically improve the way Californians interact with, and are served by, their state government. What an immense responsibility to share with an innovative and growing team.”

Peronto holds a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School, and a dual degree from the University of California at Berkeley in political science and business administration.

AI activists warn California officials against hidden threats to privacy and civil liberties

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Tesla’s Elon Musk labeled artificial intelligence as our “biggest existential threat.” Apple’s Tim Cook described its potential perils as “profound.” And Microsoft’s Bill Gates likened A.I. to nuclear energy, projecting it to be “both promising and dangerous.”

Yet, for Ashley Casovan, A.I.’s most significant and immediate threat has nothing to do with machine monarchs or dystopian futures. To Casovan, the executive director of the advocacy group Responsible A.I., the real problem today stems from A.I.’s inconspicuous decision-making. Depending on its programming or data, she said A.I. can make biased judgments, and even complete errors and governments should be watching.

“We want to make sure that when thinking about policy development or any sort of practices related to implementing AI in government—but really anywhere—that they are being done in a way that is responsible,” Casovan said, speaking to the California Department of Technology on June 30. “So, we need to design, build, and deploy them throughout their entire life cycle in a way that’s fair and impacts people in a positive way.”

Casovan’s organization, which operates under the acronym “RAI,” is warning California regulators of A.I.’s potential harm (if unchecked) and advocating the use of its certification system to safeguard governments from A.I. bias in lending, fraud detection, health systems, employment, and automated diagnosis. With A.I.’s explosive growth in recent years, RAI is advocating states to amplify their scrutiny of tech vendors.

A study by the tech firm PUC, estimated that by 2030 AI will contribute more than $15.7 trillion to the global economy annually. This figure is greater than the current contributions of China and India combined. Further, between 2021 and 2028, researchers at Fortune Business Insights project the A.I. industry itself will grow from $47.5 billion to $360.4 billion, increasing 33.6 percent each year.

RAI sees these figures as a wake-up call for government policymaking.

“A.I. systems are completely ubiquitous and becoming more and more prolific, and we really need to understand then those policy measures….” Casovan said. “How do we work with government, industry, academia, and civil society to put safeguards around these different types of tools and systems.”

 Seeing the hidden hazards

A.I.’s growth notwithstanding, it may be easy to dismiss its risks. That indifference may come from its portrayal as a future technology or its promotion as a tool so advanced, it’s inaccessible to local government.

To visualize risks and dangers, Casovan recommended agencies apply a broader definition, one that is scalable, starts at basic algorithms, and extends upward into analytics, machine learning, and the cutting-edge deep learning systems employed by the likes of Google. The wide lens is pragmatic. It boils down A.I. to any tech that can automate, or be a significant influencer, in decision-making.

“When we talk about artificial intelligence, we don’t know necessarily what that means. And for me, I’m not really interested in defining artificial intelligence,” Casovan said. “I think that, especially when we’re thinking about this from a policy perspective. It’s really important to go where people are.”

Calling out top threats, Casovan highlighted predictive policing, automated health decision making, misuse of biometrics (such as facial recognition), and A.I.-based hiring system as especially problematic. Yet said improper use of A.I., whether for service design or funding decisions, can also be an issue if the data is bad or the algorithm is biased.

Take predictive policing. At face value, the act of using historical crime data to project areas and people most likely to commit crimes may seem like a positive use of technology. Yet if mismanaged, predictive policing can also turn into harassment as officers increase surveillance on targeted suspects and neighborhoods without any crimes to point to.

An article from the Brookings Institution listed numerous examples of error-prone predictive policing. The data-driven policing programs showed officers adding innocent citizens to gang databases in Los Angeles, labeling clusters of low-income children as potential life-long criminals in Pasco County, Florida; and police tying a fictional gang name to protestors in Phoenix.

“There is no evidence that predictive policing or gang databases have been or can be cleaned of bias,” said Brookings’ Angel Diaz, who is also a lecturer of law at the University of California Los Angeles. “While there are important efforts to uncover and mitigate the ways that racial bias can infect machine learning, there is no excuse for continued funding and deployment of policing tools whose only consistent track record is a string of scandals.”

Outside the justice system, AI issues have popped up across numerous industries. The insurer Lemonade was caught bragging about using facial recognition to deny claims and increase profits. Amazon had to scrap an A.I. recruiting system after learning it discriminated against women. Google’s image recognition A.I. mistakenly applied the racist epithet of guerilla to African Americans. And the list goes on.

“When I say ‘harm,’ I can mean it in the most subtle sense,” Casovan said. “It could be a lack of access to credit. It could be not being recommended for a job because of a facial recognition system…these are the things we’re working on now.”

Policies, certifications, and other solutions

In its role as an industry regulator, governments may feel hard-pressed to find a solution to monitor and enforce such a highly sophisticated industry like A.I. Departments are often overwhelmed with daily operations, budgets can be tight, and tech expertise out of reach. Yet one regulatory tool that has proved highly effective for California, and nationally, is state-wide legislation and the costly legal liabilities that come from non-compliance.

On Jan. 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) took effect, requiring companies to disclose personal collected data to consumers, the data shared with third parties, and give consumers the right to opt-out of such sharing. The law not only applies to businesses with a physical address in California but those who do business with California consumers, a caveat that essentially gives the CCPA national reach. The legislation is strengthened by California Privacy Rights and Enforcement Act, which also applies to A.I. applications gathering data. Whether data is compiled directly, or taken from multiple sources and data services, companies still have to account for their data consumption.

“Companies that are not in compliance not only run the risk of financial ramifications through fines but also put their brand reputation on the line,” said Christy Wyatt, CEO of the tech company Absolute to Forbes. “Today’s modern enterprises, those that want to win, need to be laser-focused on transparency and trust–and ready for rapid response when that trust is misplaced.”

Outside of legislation, RAI has designed an A.I. certification system, which in simple terms, is basically an A.I. framework and evaluation service for organizations and government agencies to prevent bias and errors in analytics and A.I. programs. Casovan said RAI designed the certification in 2019 with support from the Global AI Action Alliance for the World Economic Forum (WEF).

The certification has four performance levels to rank a system and measures factors such as accountability, data quality, robustness, bias and fairness, as well as interoperability and “explain-ability” (the ability to explain how an A.I. processes data and comes to its conclusions).

The process helps certification applicants with assessments tools and resources. Then provides a professional assessment, a technical audit, followed by an official awarded ranking. Casovan said the group’s goals are doing away with black box A.I. — a term to describe scenarios where few know how an A.I. is operating — and to ensure legal compliance for organizations wherever they may be operating.

“We are doing this in partnership with the World Economic Forum and we’re building off of various work that’s been out there,” Casovan said. “Things like Google’s What-If Tool or IBM’s Fairness 360 Toolkit, these and other resources have really been driving…our work in defining what fairness means and how to measure it in a mathematical way.”

Data Consent Utility Offers Hope to Improve Government Services

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Data siloed between government agencies have long prevented programs from doing their best work to serve people more holistically, whether they are participating in the CalFresh program, utilizing the state’s digital vaccine record portal, or signed up for numerous services across California. A data-sharing system in which individuals can allow or deny the exchange of their personal information across various programs and domains could streamline processes and facilitate access to care for other programs for those who need them.

That’s the rationale behind a national push to develop technology for a Consent Service Utility by the not-for-profit think tank Stewards of Change Institute (SOCI). The CSU would be replicable and customizable for use in California.

An outgrowth of the group’s collaboration with Stanford University Center for Population Health Sciences, the CSU’s development is part of Project Unify, a SOCI initiative to advance interoperability and information sharing across the social determinants of health and well-being. The project’s larger goal is to advance health equity and social justice, as well as value-based, person-centered care.

The pandemic, which laid bare vast inequities in health care and access to resources and shined a light on the fragility of many sectors of society, offers an excellent opportunity to innovate in ways that support integrated and coordinated services, said SOCI President Daniel Stein.

“If you want to achieve coordinated care in any meaningful way, you have to facilitate the consent of information that is flowing in different directions,” Stein said. “There are sizable obstacles in the many siloed processes of getting consents and being able to manage them. They create enormous administrative burden and really get in the way of improving patient care.”

John Ohanian, Chief Data Officer for the Center of Data Insights and Innovation at the California Health and Human Services Agency, is working with stakeholders to develop a Data Exchange Framework to improve how health information is shared among health care entities and social services agencies.

“Managing consent is important work and something we are evaluating as we work to improve coordination between health and social services sectors to help promote health equity and whole-person care,” said Ohanian about the potential for the Consent Service Utility in California.

Currently, approaches to securing informed consent, whether for educational institutions, law enforcement, or health care, run the gamut in terms of how consent will be secured, how long they last, what personal health information is covered or exempt, or who or what entity has access to the information. Many written consents cannot be accessed online, or they exist only within closed systems or are paper-based. Stein imagines a common digital dashboard, allowing an individual to specify consent for a variety of possible uses that could be accessed across various sectors of society when needed by a care coordinator, social worker, or another provider – whether in the healthcare world or in social, human services and/or education.

“What we are working to design is a replicable, open-source technical solution for getting permission to exchange information from a person or their guardian so the professionals who need it can get relevant health care records, probation reports, behavioral health data or other information,” Stein said.

Systems would be designed on the back end to conform to each state’s privacy laws. For example, someone attempting to coordinate substance use treatment for a patient who is also on probation and has other health care requirements that need to be addressed could get access to those records if the person’s consent was already expedited by the CSU.

SOCI’s implementation partners for the CSU project are the two federally funded Integrated Care for Kids sites in New Jersey and New York. Stein said he has talked with state technology officials in California about launching a pilot in that state as well. On Sept. 10, SOCI introduced the CSU proposal as part of the 2021 Tech Forum put on by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC).

Stein added that such a system could be useful in allowing individuals to divulge their vaccination status with various entities such as sports venues or hospitals without having to physically show proof of vaccination.

Californians can now voluntarily download a digital version of their COVID vaccination record to use as needed. The U.S. currently does not have a vaccine passport system, although the concept is under consideration.

 

Image: iStockphoto.com

 

Legislature Approves New Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development

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California is notorious for being in flames in what seems like an endless wildfire season. Factors including climate change and an increasing population in locations with flammable materials—like fuel and dry brush—all contribute to wildfires and the unpredictable damages they cause.

November 2018’s Camp Fire is the most destructive and fatal in California—causing 85 deaths, burning around 153,000 acres, and destroying nearly 19,000 structures. In 2020, the August Complex Fire burned more than one million acres.

Needless to say, emergency responders need to be able to quickly assess these fires by having access to reliable and timely information, and the ability to quickly share it.

Senate Bill (SB) 109, by state Senator Bill Dodd (D – Napa), passed the Legislature on September 7 to establish the Office of Wildfire Technology Research and Development (OWTRD) within the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CalFIRE). The OWTRD’s mission is to conduct research and test emergency technologies to improve the detection of and response to wildfires.

“17 of the 20 largest wildfires in California history have occurred since 2000, with six of the seven largest wildfires occurring in 2020 alone. Collectively, the fires have claimed hundreds of lives and caused tens of billions of dollars in damage,” said Dodd. “The escalating frequency and devastation caused by wildfires demands that we seek out emerging technology to address this urgent threat. This bill will help develop advancements and tap innovation from the public and private sectors. It will allow us to work smarter to protect life and property.”

Understandably, the bill received no opposition.

It was strongly supported by many associations including Breathe California, California Fire Chiefs Association, California State Association of Counties, and Fire Districts Association of California—just to name a few.

The Napa County Board of Supervisors wrote in support of SB-109, saying:

“[E]xtreme weather events and natural disasters are occurring more frequently and becoming more severe. Among other challenges, California has been confronted with persistent drought conditions, warming temperatures, all of which have led to an unprecedented tree mortality crisis. Dead and dying trees, among others, have been identified as key factors in the devastating fire seasons in recent years and will continue to increase the likelihood of more severe wildfires in the future…

While Napa County is working on investing in technologies to help prevent wildfires, the Board believes there should be a statewide agency responsible for studying, testing, and advising with regard to the procurement of emerging technologies and tools in order to effectively prevent and suppress fires, something the counties cannot do on their own.”

The coordination needed research, testing, and evaluation wildfire tools and technologies will cost approximately $1.6 million in the first year, and an ongoing $1.4 million (General Fund) to CalFIRE, according to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.

CalFire predicts needing new staff positions—including an Assistant Chief with subject matter expertise to oversee field testing.

SB-109 now awaits final approval by the governor.

California Selects Nonprofit as Broadband Partner

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As part of a massive effort to improve broadband infrastructure, the state today announced it is partnering with a third-party administrator (TPA) to oversee California’s middle-mile broadband initiative. CENIC California Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC will serve as the TPA to manage the development and construction of broadband networks as part of this year’s state budget allocation to build high-speed fiber networks aimed at closing the digital divide.

Senate Bill (SB) 156, a $6 billion legislative proposal, was approved by Governor Newsom in July with the goal of providing equitable access to broadband service by expanding infrastructure in unserved and underserved populations. The legislation includes:

  • $3.25 billion over the next three years to build, operate and maintain an open access, state-owned middle-mile network—high-capacity fiber lines that carry large amounts of data at higher speeds over longer distances between local networks
  • $2 billion to set up last-mile broadband connections that will connect homes and businesses with local networks. The legislation expedites project deployment and enables Tribes and local governments to access this funding
  • $750 million for a loan loss reserve fund to bolster the ability of local governments and nonprofits to secure financing for broadband infrastructure

The proposal also created an advisory committee, with members of the Administration and Legislature, to oversee the effort to provide open broadband access for Californians.

“We are pleased to retain CENIC California Middle Mile Broadband Initiative, LLC to manage the construction and establishment of the middle-mile network,” said California Department of Technology Director Amy Tong. “We look forward to partnering with them on this historic project to close the state’s digital divide and make possible equitable access to high-speed internet for all Californians.”

The TPA will develop the fiber network and partner with CalTrans to manage construction of the middle-mile infrastructure along state highways and rights of way. CENIC will also collaborate with the California Public Utilities Commission on locations for middle-mile infrastructure and last-mile connectivity.

“We are honored to be a part of the most ambitious state digital equity effort in the history of the public Internet,” said Louis Fox, President of CENIC California MMBI. “Our goal, in partnership with the state, is to ensure that every community—rural, urban, tribal—has access to broadband technologies and to do this work with alacrity.”

The construction of the middle-mile network is estimated to last through December 2026, with an expected significant increase in connectivity in rural, tribal, and underserved urban areas.

Image: iStockphoto.com

This story has been updated to include information provided by the California Department of Technology. 

California Department of Technology Hires Chief Product Officer

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The California Department of Technology (CDT) has just hired California’s first-ever Chief Product Officer, veteran technology professional Michael Cave.

“I’m pleased to announce that I have accepted a promotion with the [CDT],” said Cave in a post on LinkedIn. “I will play a key product management role in the State of California’s Digital transformation, helping [to] ensure positive digital experiences for the people of California.”

Image: Twitter

Cave has nearly 20 years of state service, with most of his experience being in management and leadership.  For the past three and a half years he has served as DMS Infrastructure Operations Section Manager at EDD.

“This is an exciting opportunity to make a difference on a large scale, and during a time of transformative change and new beginnings,” he added.

Cave says he is excited about the opportunities for vision and strategy that this new position will bring.

He will report to State Chief Technology Innovation Officer Rick Klau, who in May on Twitter said “[the new role will] build out a more mature product organization alongside the engineering and devops teams.”

Bill to Regulate Algorithm Bias Dies in Senate

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Legislation aiming to eliminate algorithm bias in state IT systems has died in the State Senate. 

AB 13 by Assemblymember Ed Chau passed in the Assembly on June 1, 2021 and has been amended multiple times before it was placed on suspense last week. 

Introduced in December 2020, AB 13, also known as The Systems Accountability Act, sought to eliminate bias within automated decision systems that serve the public.

“If thoughtfully designed and implemented, algorithm-driven decision systems can assist government by improving operations and in the delivery of services,” said Assemblymember Ed Chau. “However, government also has the responsibility to ensure these systems do not harm the legal rights, health and well-being of individuals. It is therefore necessary to establish criteria for the procurement of high-risk algorithms to minimize the risk of discriminatory impacts resulting from their design and application.”

AB 13 would require the Department of Technology to establish public guidelines that identify high-risk automated decision systems as defined by the measure and to submit a report to the Legislature within two years of passage, repeating the process every two years.  The original date for the first report was set for July 31, 2023, with follow-up reports set for 2025 and 2027. 

The report would specify each high-risk automated decision system, how it functions, whether it poses any risks to privacy or security of personal information, and whether it poses any potentially discriminatory impacts on the basis of the Unruh Civil Rights Act. 

Opponents of the bill cited changing definitions of what constituted an ADS and said the reporting requirement for vendors would negatively impact the state’s procurement process.

Senate Confirms California Chief Technology Officer

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Confirmed by the State Senate on August 26, California’s new Chief Technology Officer Liana Bailey-Crimmins last month appeared in front of a friendly Senate Rules Committee, outlining her priorities and perspectives on how the state should approach technology to serve constituents.  With 30 years in state service, she brings a broad range of experience to the role of chief of the Office of Technology Services within the California Department of Technology.

Here are five takeaways from her Senate Rules Committee confirmation hearing in July:

Optimizing, before automating: When asked about the state’s difficulties managing large-scale projects, Bailey-Crimmins noted the importance of relationships between the private and public sectors. Automation requires a sound process, she says.

“I first look at when we’re deploying change in an organization or looking at large projects, making sure that we have the right knowledge in an organization to be able to do that,” Bailey-Crimmins said.  “So a lot of times it’s private and public partnerships, making sure that we have the right business sponsorship, and that we’re willing to look at the future of where our process needs to be on behalf of the residents and making sure that that’s what we’re automating.”

Incremental steps: Also regarding large-scale mismanagement, Bailey-Crimmins believes an iterative approach is an answer to many of the state’s large projects.

“We believe that by putting these things in modules, that we are delivering good functionality to our constituents and to our business partners. It shows. . .that we’re building upon our successes.”

Capability: Innovation can’t take place without the willingness to go the extra mile, says Bailey-Crimmins. Finding the right processes is one thing, but follow-through is another.

“We. . .need to make sure that we have the capability that we’re willing to do the hard work necessary.”

Empathizing with the customers: Innovation serves a purpose, and at the heart of that purpose is the community being served. Bailey-Crimmins noted the importance of spending a day in the life with those being served and discovering how technology is being applied in a real-life setting.

“I believe walking a mile in our customers’ shoes is extremely important. . .not just focusing on the technology, but actually walking out into every single institution.”

Fixing the digital divide: The COVID-19 pandemic and the reliance on remote work and learning highlighted the digital divide in California. The creation of the Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy is a step towards closing that divide, while expanding broadband networks is another.

“We have had a significant gap in our knowledge, digital biases, cyber societal divide, and I think it’s time that we address it, head on.”

Watch her testimony from July 14, 2021 below:

EDD Seeks Firm to Help Improve Business Processes and Modernize Benefits System

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With the hope of improving customer service after an unprecedented surge and backlog of 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.

According to the RFP, the department “seeks to assess, analyze, and redesign the business processes that impact the customer experience into a customer-centric business framework that leverages improvements and supporting technologies to deliver world-class customer service.”

As part of its Re-Imagining Benefit Systems Modernization project, EDD wants to improve service delivery, eliminate unnecessary complexity in their service process, and reduce administrative burden, among other needs, says to the 281page document.  

The department has faced ongoing criticism during the most critical juncture of the COVID-19 pandemic, failing to deliver unemployment benefits to claimants as well as falling victim to fraud.

In a Jan. 2021 statement, the department noted that “between March 2020 and January 16, 2021, EDD processed 19.5 million claims and paid out $114 billion in unemployment benefits. EDD confirmed that 9.7 percent of payments have been made to fraudulent claims.”

The recently approved state budget includes $11.8 million from the General Fund to “reengage the planning and modernization of the EDD’s information technology systems” after years of planning and lessons learned from the pandemic.   The department first started modernization efforts in 2015.

In Sep. 2020, Gov. Gavin Newsom appointed a strike team, led by Government Operations Secretary Yolanda Richardson and Code for America Founder Jennifer Pahlka, to address and implement necessary reform within the department. 

In a report from the Richardson-led strike team, it’s noted that the backlog of unprocessed claims can be attributed to issues related to workflow and logistics.

In his revised state budget, Gov. Newsom acknowledged that “the pandemic has exposed many of EDD’s antiquated processes and outdated infrastructure, resulting in a delay or inability for many Californians to access (unemployment) benefits.”

The RFP seeks to hire a firm for a nine-month engagement with a firm that will start the project by the end of September.

 

California Office of Digital Innovation Plans Expansion for New Projects and Initiatives

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California’s Office of Digital Innovation is growing in both size and scope.

That message of growth took center stage this month as ODI leaders offered a public update on the group’s projects and strategy to modernize state services. The group sprang from the shared desire from the state legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom to create a digital team that could reimagine new solutions, processes, and policies in service delivery. And since its launch in 2020, the ODI has grown from 11 technologists to 20-plus, with ambitions to increase to 50 soon.

 

ODI Director Udaya Patnaik spoke at the TechCA Forum on July 15, crediting the office’s growth to an overwhelming demand from state agencies. Requests and state project proposals fill his inbox daily. With the activity, Patnaik said it had compelled his team to prioritize projects based on urgency and the Newsom Administration’s statewide objectives.

 

“In terms of the demand for ODI, at this point, it’s off the charts,” Patnaik said. “…And so obviously, we have to look at the issues that are the greatest needs for Californians.”

 

Those “issues” are diverse, but Patnaik pointed to a few standout projects that included Covid19.ca.gov, California’s state COVID-19 emergency response website, and development work for Alpha.ca.gov, the ongoing—and ambitious endeavor—to prototype a new state website.

 

Patnaik said the pandemic’s unprecedented impact has commanded significant time and resources from the team and—based on current needs—will likely continue to do so. ODI collaborated with multiple departments to support the site. Tasks included working with the California Health & Human Services Office of Innovation and the California Department of Technology (CDT) to create a site for vaccination information and tracking statistics for infections and deaths.

 

As it stands now, the site’s dashboard reports nearly 3.8 million confirmed COVID-19 cases and more than 63,740 COVID-19 related deaths.

 

“I think when we started [working on] Covid last year, none of us had any concept of the kind of time it was going to take or the kind of hours it was going to take,” Patnaik said, adding the ODI is now fully committed to seeing the project through.

 

“We are not at the end of the pandemic. There are a fair number of folks that are tracking the intensive care unit numbers and our ICU bed capacity. They’re looking at our case rates. They’re seeing them go up.” Patnaik said. “And we’re not at the vaccination levels that we need to be in the state to guarantee everybody is going to be free from harm. That means there is a whole lot of work left to do.”

 

Outside of COVID-19 and the state website, the ODI’s projects have focused on California’s drought, fire prevention, cannabis regulation, a spate of social services, and the state’s efforts to deploy a digital ID—an online system for driver’s licenses and state ID cards. Beyond these projects, Patnaik said a broader work is underway to ensure easy credit card transactions for public-facing departments.

 

Whatever the task, Patnaik said the ODI has been adaptable, ready to build from scratch or make improvements, whatever is needed.

 

“At ODI were going from ideas to ship [product launch], we are doing the initial concept work working with our partners, there’s a lot of prototyping that has to happen, a lot of MVP work, and that’s to say we can really create something that can actually help folks,” Patnaik said.

 

Yet, while its partners and projects are varied, ODI Chief Deputy Director Anne Neville-Bonilla said the work has also expanded the state’s digital capacity for fast delivery and quality products. As an example, she pointed to the newly established design standards, principles, and content assets.

 

Neville-Bonilla said these design elements emerged from the many hours spent on COVID-19 and Alpha.ca.gov, laying a foundation for rapid dev work. California’s drought resource site, Drought.ca.gov, is proof. At Newsom’s request, the team started developing the site on July 2 and taking it live on July 7.

 

“Speed isn’t an indicator of quality all the time, but I mention the timelines because absent the reusable infrastructure and design assets, this simply wouldn’t have happened,” Neville-Bonilla said. “We were able to bring quality to this because of those assets and that infrastructure.”

 

At the event, attendees questioned the team about its long-term vision and how it would measure its success. To these questions, Patnaik said they were looking at several outcomes, but the results all centered on the user experience—underscoring accessibility, equity, and responsiveness.

 

“We have to get to a point where our experiences are not just easy and simple, but uplifting and automatic,” Patnaik said.

 

Elaborating, Patnaik said that for most departments, services are more or less reactionary to residents’ needs. Departments wait for residents to make requests, then try to respond quickly. In the future, the ODI’s aspiration is for California to anticipate needs before requests arrive and to predict and preempt those needs with intelligent services eventually.

 

Patnaik said data analytics would be a core part of this innovation work.

 

“Ultimately, building better government services and digital solutions really does require taking a look at the whole picture,” Patnaik said. “And the whole picture really does mean that we’ve got to work with departments to detect, create and improve the programs and processes.”

California to Pilot ‘Digital ID Ecosystem’

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As part of its Vision 2023, state technology officials are proposing a system to enable California residents to use a single username and password to access any state government service online. The system would allow users to easily update their information, as needed, on a single website.

The proposal, dubbed the “Digital ID Ecosystem,” envisions a day when Californians don’t have to have separate log-in information for each service they use, whether scheduling a driver’s test, making an unemployment claim or enrolling in Medi-Cal. To get started, Governor Gavin Newsom asked for $1.1 million in Fiscal Year 2021-22 and 2022-23 to deliver a proof of concept.

“It’s a question of convenience for the residents of California,” said Rick Klau, the state’s new California Chief Technology Officer. “Anyone who has any digital interaction with more than one state department or agency, like renewing a license, getting a campground permit or paying taxes, knows that many of them require a username and password. That is an inefficient process.”

Klau emphasized that the program prioritizes user privacy and consent. As proposed, the system would be fully compliant with applicable state and federal statutes and policies, including the Information Practices Act, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Also, every user would be required to consent to and designate each service authorized to receive personal information for the creation of the digital ID.

Because every agency and department now runs its own login systems, the proposed ID ecosystem would facilitate better oversight and monitoring for potential fraud through centralization, Klau said.

“Currently there are 50 sets of login systems where there is no centralization of visibility into the log-in activity, which means if there is bad actor who is trying to compromise accounts or attack the systems, it’s not visible at the state level,” he said. “When you centralize information, you give us better insight to be able to distinguish good activity and bad activity that we would want to stop.”

Approved in budget legislation, the funds will pay for a “Digital ID Product Owner” to develop the product vision, strategy, and roadmaps, and a “Business Relationship Manager” to lead the partnership with state entities to build and evaluate the business cases to support investment decisions. The product owner would determine which two entities to engage in the proof-of-concept effort.

In a letter to the Governor and legislative leaders, ACLU California Action and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, wrote that the proposal is “vaguely justified and poorly articulated.” The letter questioned why the program is needed and how it will work and cites serious concerns about user privacy and security. The letter said, for example, that the proposal does not stipulate that every level of government that has access to the system’s data is bound by the state Information Practices Act, nor does it require an independent oversight agency or auditor to guard against privacy abuses.

The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 4 also raised concerns. Committee staff documented in its May agenda that the proposal’s assertions of privacy protections “are not durable” because they are not included in statutory or budget language.

In response to cited privacy concerns, Klau emphasized that the system will be designed to put users in control of the information they provide and how it will be used.

“It’s fundamental that in order for residents to trust us they need to know their information is theirs, and should they choose to share it in order to effect a transaction or update their information, that they can control it,” Klau said.

He added that the California Department of Technology would report back to the legislature every six months on the project’s progress and to address any concerns as they emerge.

 

State Broadband Infrastructure to Get $5.25B Expansion

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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.

The bill (AB/SB 156) was announced by Gov. Newsom, Senate President pro Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego), and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) and will expand the state’s broadband infrastructure, bringing open-access internet connectivity to Californian households and businesses in need. 

“This legislation will yield vital, broadened access for California families by prioritizing the unserved and underserved areas, facilities, households, and businesses that remain disconnected in the digital era,” Gov. Newsom said in the announcement. 

The bill, originally introduced in Jan. 2021, establishes the Office of Broadband and Digital Literacy within the Department of Technology, as well as a “broadband czar” and a nine-person council within the department. 

The bill allocates $3.25 billion to build and maintain high-capacity fiber lines and another $2 billion for “last-mile infrastructure” to connect homes and businesses with local networks.

Little Hoover Commission Calls on Government to Continue Virtual Meetings

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In its new report, California’s independent government watchdog says that it would be more cost-efficient to make state government more accessible by permitting fully remote public meetings, even after the pandemic is over.

In The Government of Tomorrow: Online Meetings, the Little Hoover Commission highlights the benefits of Governor Newsom’s March 2020 Executive Order allowing state boards and commissions to meet via remote technology. Changing accessibility to make public meetings more inclusive by providing remote access would not only save taxpayer dollars, but it would significantly benefit those who have difficulty interacting with the state government such as low-income citizens or physically disabled persons.

“Governor Newsom has long been an advocate of using technology to make government more accessible, “said Commission Chair Pedro Nava, who also serves on the subcommittee on remote work and state government. “He even wrote a book on the subject—Citizenville. Now, the Governor and the Legislature can use proven technology to increase public accessibility and strengthen government accountability.”

The commission’s report also provides results from its survey of state boards—and other commissions—that met remotely during the pandemic. The survey reveals some substantial benefits to the public including:

  • More than 90 percent of surveyed agencies reported reduced costs from meeting remotely
  • Approximately half of agencies reported better attendance by commission members
  • One-third of agencies responded that they meet more often due to remote access
  • Approximately half of agencies with witnesses said it is easier to secure high-quality speakers

The Commission strongly advises the Governor and Legislature to make it easier for board and commission members to participate remotely to fully capture the benefits of meeting virtually. The commission also says that action should be taken before September 30—when the Governor’s executive order is rescinded—for these reforms to be the most effective.

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