From bolstering state IT security to replacing legacy systems at the Department of Motor Vehicles, Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget asks lawmakers for millions of dollars in technology upgrades at state agencies.
Brown released his proposed $190.3 billion state budget on Wednesday, highlighting his intention to shore up the state’s rainy-day fund and fully implement his education reform efforts during his last year in office.
The big-ticket item for the California Department of Technology (CDT) is a $4.7 million request to augment its Security Solutions Unit and add five new positions — an investment intended to support the Security Operations Center’s growing suite of security services.
“The SOC utilizes a range of technologies which, in order to be effective, must be actively supported and enhanced to keep up with cyber threats,” CDT spokesman Bryce Brown said in a statement to Techwire. He said the new staff and funding would provide support for current technologies, allow for a transition from external vendor support, and provide security training and instruction.
Overall, Gov. Brown proposed a $4.768 million budget for the CDT in the coming fiscal year, representing a slight increase over this year’s budget of $4.765 million.
For the DMV, the budget requests $15 million for a major overhaul of its antiquated, legacy systems. The $89 million, five-year project — known as the Front End Sustainability Project — intends to replace software written in the 1980s with more agile applications for vehicle registration and the management of service fees and payments. It is a project with numerous steps or phases, in large part because the current system is old, extremely complicated and his little documentation, according to a budget request last year that requested planning dollars.
Project costs include $38 million for the software system contract; $43 million for CDT staff, data center usage, and associated equipment and facilities upgrades; and $8 million for 10 additional DMV employees, according to the budget request. The budget also sets aside $3.1 million from the Motor Vehicle Account to replace equipment and hardware, such as servers and network and storage equipment, that the DMV uses to provide services to its customers.
Hoping to harden the security of California’s voting systems, Brown also asked lawmakers to set aside $134.3 million for counties to replace aging ballot systems, many of which rely on technology that has been in place since the late 1990s or early 2000s.
The equipment currently used by counties “has reached the end of its useful life. The age and lack of replacement parts decreases the reliability and security of the equipment,” the budget request states. The state’s share of $134.3 million would cover half the cost to purchase hardware, software and licensing.
“This is an essential and timely investment in our democracy. Aging voting systems are one of the gravest threats to the integrity of our elections,” California Secretary of State Alex Padilla said in a news release. “We have a responsibility to modernize our voting equipment to ensure the security of our elections, to expand voting opportunities, and to improve disability and language access.”
The Legislature has until June 15 to pass budget bills, which the governor must sign by June 30. Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, a member of the Tech Caucus, commended Brown for including funding to replace IT systems that “are at the end of their useful life.” But she also urged caution.
“While I’m thankful that the governor has included the resources necessary to ensure that our state is adequately refreshing the state's IT infrastructure, we also need to ensure that this money is being spent efficiently,” she said in a statement to Techwire.
Here is a look at some of the other technology-related requests in the governor’s budget:
— $10.4 million for the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to develop an enterprise privacy office to address its ongoing cybersecurity needs, with $9.2 million for hardware and software, $700,000 for consulting and licenses, and $500,000 for four ongoing positions to work with vendors, develop training, policies and procedures, and manage the program. Democrat Assemblyman Ed Chau, who chairs the Privacy and Consumer Protection Committee, said the Caltrans investment falls in line with safeguarding the state’s cybersecurity infrastructure.
— $11.5 million to modernize the state's antiquated 911 system with a next-generation 911 system. The budget highlights how last year’s wildfires in Northern California showed the “fragility and importance” of California’s emergency telecommunications system, with the loss of major telecommunications infrastructure, which hampered firefighting efforts and impacted residents.
— $5 million in broadband equipment grants to the California State Library, with $2 million intended to help connect public libraries to the broadband network and $3 million to expand the capacity at libraries that are already connected.
Editor's note: This story was updated at 1:44 p.m. Thursday to correct CDT budget figures.
