The budget plan approaching $180 billion that Gov. Jerry Brown unveiled Tuesday morning would make further investments to bolster state government's cybersecurity, replace outdated IT systems, and fund both big-ticket projects and emerging initiatives.
In fact, the 267-page summary document of the budget proposal appears to highlight more tech projects than previous years under the Brown administration. The following is a verbatim list of where technology is mentioned in the governor's budget summary:
SAWS
Continue Consolidation of Statewide Automated Welfare Systems — The budget includes $38.5 million ($7.5 million General Fund) for migration of 39 counties using the Consortium IV system to the LEADER Replacement System. The first year of funding for migration activities will be available after the county consortia negotiations are complete and the Department of Finance and the Department of Technology have reviewed and approved detailed project documents.
Caltrans
• Replacement of IT Infrastructure — $12 million State Highway Account for Caltrans to begin a multiyear effort to replace a broad range of IT equipment.
• IT Security — $4 million State Highway Account over three years for Caltrans to upgrade and improve the Department’s Information Technology Cyber Security Program.
CHP
• Phone System Replacement — $2.8 million Motor Vehicle Account for the CHP to replace its older phone systems at both the CHP Academy and the Dignitary Protection Section, North Command, with voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) systems.
• IT Privacy and Risk Management — $1.8 million Motor Vehicle Account and 14 positions for the CHP to establish a Privacy and Risk Management Program to protect personally identifiable information stored within the CHP's information technology infrastructure and to address other information technology needs.
• Cloud‑Based Disaster Recovery Solution — $1.2 million Motor Vehicle Account and two positions for the CHP to establish a cloud‑based disaster recovery system to replace its tape‑based system.
IT Security
The budget includes $9.9 million ($5.3 million General Fund) to strengthen the state’s information technology security operations across various departments.
California Department of Food and Agriculture
The budget includes $23.4 million to provide Cannabis Cultivation Program administrative oversight, promulgate regulations, issue cannabis cultivation licenses and perform an Environmental Impact Report. In addition, the Department of Food and Agriculture is responsible, with assistance from the California Department of Technology and the Board of Equalization, for establishing a track-and-trace program to report the movement of medical cannabis products throughout the distribution chain using unique identifiers.
Board of Equalization
The budget includes $5.3 million in 2017‑18 to notify businesses of the new tax requirements and update its information technology systems to register businesses and process tax returns from retail sales. Proposition 64 requires the Board of Equalization to administer an excise tax on cannabis sales and a cultivation tax on all harvested cannabis that enters the commercial market.
Child Welfare Services-New System
Child Welfare Digital Services — The Child Welfare Services New System case management project continues to make progress, as the agile approach to software design and development adopted in November 2015 accelerates the project timeline. Rather than procuring a single, monolithic solution to replace the legacy system, a suite of digital services is being developed and integrated to deliver continually improving assistance to state and county workers, enabling effective engagement with and assistance to children and families. The budget includes $175.9 million ($88 million General Fund) to support an increase in project activity, which includes increased funding for county engagement as individual digital services are designed, developed and implemented.
Implementing Legislation
The budget includes $1 million Motor Vehicle Account for implementation of new legislation, including $730,000 and five positions for inspecting ignition interlock devices, pursuant to Chapter 783, Statutes of 2016 (SB 1046), and $294,000 for investigator travel, casework and overtime, and a data aggregation tool to search websites for patterns of suspicious sale activity, as part of the joint task force to address unlicensed auto dismantling businesses that was created by Chapter 449, Statutes of 2016 (AB 1858).
CAAL-Skills
CAAL‑Skills Data Sharing Pilot Project — The 2016 Budget Act includes $1 million for Labor Agency to spearhead the Cross‑System Analytics and Assessment for Learning and Skills Attainment (CAAL‑Skills) data‑sharing pilot project to begin building a comprehensive data sharing system that eventually will provide policymakers, the public and program administrators actionable information about which workforce and education programs best improve an individual’s ability to get a job.
