When Assemblymembers Evan Low, D-Silicon Valley, and Ian Calderon, D-Whittier, created a tech caucus last session, the new venture included a dozen lawmakers. In just one year, the caucus more than doubled to 30 members, providing a venue for elected officials to learn how technology impacts a wide variety of areas under state jurisdiction.
As the new Legislature for 2017-18 convenes Monday, the leaders of the California Legislative Technology and Innovation Caucus hope to attract both veteran and newly elected members to its ranks. Nine new members will be sworn in to the Senate and 22 into the Assembly — representing diverse backgrounds from government, education and the private sector.
Members have a variety of caucuses they can chose to join — on aviation, the environment or outdoor sporting, just to name a few. The technology caucus, Low said, covers a wide range of issues and a background in the tech industry is not required. In fact, just a handful of its members have technology credentials.
“We’re not expecting anybody to be an expert,” Low said in an interview with Techwire to discuss the priorities of the Tech Caucus in the new session. “If they have an area of interest, we want to provide them the capability to do that.”
For example, the agenda in the 2017-2018 session for the tech caucus is likely to include informational sessions about driverless cars, drones, green technology and fuel cells, and fees on Internet streaming services. These are topics on which multiple members offer legislation each year, yet many members know little about the technology and impact of regulation on these issues, Low said.
Early next year, after members have introduced legislation, the caucus will meet and vote on a set of priority bills.
While it’s still too early to know how many new members might join the tech caucus, a number of incoming lawmakers highlighted technology as part of their campaign platforms.
In the Senate, Josh Newman, who won a tightly contested race against former tech caucus member Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang, highlighted his work as both an executive and a consultant with a number of technology startups in the mobile and Internet media technology spheres.
San Francisco Board of Supervisor Scott Wiener and attorney Kevin Kiley, for example, both called for improving government efficiency and transparency, giving Californians more information about how their tax dollars are spent. They are in the company of incoming Sen. Anthony Portantino, who as an assemblyman was the only Democrat in the Legislature to release his personal budget and calendar in a bid for transparency after he feuded with the Assembly leadership.
“Transparency goes to the heart of what it means to have an accountable government,” Kiley said in an interview with Techwire.
Kiley, whose district includes Intel in Folsom, also said the state must find a way to adopt the best practices of the private sector because there is such a “marked difference” in how the private sector uses technology compared to government.
Ash Kalra, a former San Jose city councilmember, said on his campaign website that the state should “build upon the successes of Silicon Valley by creating an environment that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship as well as continuing to grow our manufacturing base.”
Others called for improved curriculums that can better prepare students for futures in the technology industry, including a call by Laura Friedman for free community college courses to prepare students for changes in technology in the film industry.
Todd Gloria, a San Diego councilman, has expressed interest about biotechnology and Blanca Rubio, a former teacher, wants to harness technology to help teach students, said Low, who spoke with both of them.
“Technology transcends so many different issues,” Low said. “It doesn’t fit into a neat little box.”
Here is a look at the incoming newly elected members:
Senate
Bill Dodd, D-Napa, former assemblymember
Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, former assemblymember
Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, former member of the San Francisco board of supervisors.
Scott Wilk, R-Santa Clarita, former assemblymember
Anthony Portantino, D-La Canada Flintridge, former assemblymember
Henry Stern, D- Canoga Park, environmental attorney and policy adviser to former Democratic Sen. Fran Pavley
Josh Newman, D-Fullerton, founder of ArmedForce2Workforce
Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, former assemblymember
Toni Atkins, D-San Diego, former Speaker of the Assembly
Assembly
Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, former mayor
Kevin Kiley, R-Rocklin, Former Deputy Attorney General
Heath Flora, R-Ripon, farmer, firefighter and businessman
Tim Grayson, D-Concord, former mayor
Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, former city council member
Ash Kalra, D-San Jose, former city council member
Anna Caballero, D-Salinas, former secretary of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, former assemblymember
Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, his district director to Rep. Kevin McCarthy
Jordan Cunningham, R-Templeton, attorney
Monique Limón, D-Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Unified School Board Member
Dante Acosta, R-Santa Clarita, former city councilmember
Raul Bocanegra, D-Los Angeles, former assemblyman
Laura Friedman, D- Glendale, former city councilwoman
Eloise Reyes, D-Colton, attorney and adjunct professor at Cal Poly Pomona
Blanca Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, Baldwin Park School Board member
Phillip Chen, R-Diamond Bar, Walnut Valley Unified School District Trustee
Sabrina Cervantes, D-Riverside, former district director for Assemblymember Jose Medina
Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, former assemblymember
Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, former assemblymember
Steven Choi, R-Irvine, former mayor
Randy Voepel, R-Santee, former mayor
Todd Gloria, D-San Diego, former city council member
