From bolstering state IT security to replacing legacy systems at the DMV, Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposed budget asks lawmakers for millions of dollars in technology upgrades at state agencies. Overall, he proposed a $4.768 million budget for the California Department of Technology in the coming fiscal year, representing a slight increase over this year’s budget of $4.765 million.
California will join a national wireless broadband network dedicated to first responders, a decision issued Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown despite reservations about interoperability, security and performance during emergencies.
Gov. Jerry Brown must decide this month whether California will join a national public safety network or build its own high-speed wireless network dedicated to first responders. That decision is certain to be informed by proposals the state received from any vendors hoping to build an alternative California-only network.
Ed Chau, who chairs the Assembly Select Committee on Emerging Technologies and Innovation, predicts a busy legislative year on cybersecurity, privacy and technology issues.
Freshman lawmaker Kevin Kiley says he will continue to push for more government transparency and to support efforts to beef up cybersecurity, both in the public and private sectors. In an exclusive interview with Techwire, he discusses ways to improve cybersecurity and to encourage more young people to pursue careers in tech.
A massive project to modernize and improve the quality of health care at California prisons concluded its initial rollout this month, bringing electronic medical records to all 35 state institutions. The switch from an antiquated paper-based records system — where medical files could take days or even months to find while patients were left without care — represents a major milestone for a troubled state correctional system under federal court supervision.
Facing a shortage in the cybersecurity workforce, the state of California is trying to get creative in its hiring and retention of these highly skilled and sought-after workers. It's a multipronged effort that the state's IT chief hopes will put the state in the competition.
“By having a centralized SOC looking at network traffic, we look at the front gate,” state Chief Information Security Officer Peter Liebert told Techwire in an interview Tuesday. “We’re the gatekeepers."
California agencies will begin inventorying their critical infrastructure controls and assets as part of a larger effort to boost statewide cybersecurity defenses after Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation over the weekend authorizing the approach.
Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday vetoed legislation that would have set into state statute the cybersecurity center he created two years ago. In his veto message, Brown said cybersecurity threats against the state are constantly changing and AB 1306 would “unduly limit the center’s flexibility as it pursues its mission to protect the state against cyberattacks.”
Physicians and pharmacists hope to have an easier time accessing state data that stores patients’ past prescription drug use under legislation signed this week by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The debate to strengthen California’s Internet privacy laws was silenced last week after lawmakers quietly shelved legislation that would have limited what ISPs can do with customer data.
New statewide rules governing the installation of so-called “small cell” technology are sitting on the governor’s desk, awaiting the final step of approval for what lawmakers have described as a critical advance in connectivity for Californians.
California lawmakers on Wednesday sent Gov. Jerry Brown cyberlegislation to beef up the protection of the state’s networks, part of an ongoing effort over the years to defend against evolving cyberattacks. The latest bills would require the California Department of Technology to assess its security technologies and require state entities to submit inventories of their critical infrastructure.
The California Department of Technology has won the critical authority it needs to continue negotiating contracts for IT goods and services. The ability to negotiate with IT vendors had been set to expire Jan. 1, 2018, but Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed legislation that removed the sunset date set in state statute.
It will be left up to the Brown Administration to decide whether California ought to evaluate IT contractors after lawmakers last week shelved legislation intended to foster more successful state IT projects. The Senate Appropriations Committee on Friday held back AB 1546, which would have required the California Department of Technology to develop a system to assess the performances of IT vendors beginning in 2019.
Lawmakers returning Monday from their summer recess face a two-week deadline to move bills out of fiscal committees. Before the Senate and Assembly Appropriations committees are bills that seek to hold IT contractors accountable, secure state websites and sensitive information, and create a statewide framework for small cell technology.
Stunned by reports of Silicon Valley venture capitalists making unwanted sexual advances on female entrepreneurs, one state senator wants to make the law clear: Investors must not act inappropriately with those who seek their help.
The state is expected to lose an estimated 6,000 megawatts of solar generation during the eclipse, which is projected to darken the skies from 9:02 a.m. to 11:54 a.m. The amount of lost solar generation is roughly enough to power 6 million homes. Cal-ISO began its preparations more than a year ago, reaching out to European countries that experienced a 2015 eclipse. Among the lessons learned: Have more reserves. So power plants will be on standby for additional generation in California.
A measure moving through the Legislature with bipartisan approval would require the Department of Technology to develop and implement a vendor scorecard — part of a larger ongoing effort by both lawmakers and the Brown administration to foster successful IT projects.
An Assembly bill draws praise from consumer and privacy advocates but criticism from business and ISPs, including cable and telephone companies who argue that they have a vested interest in protecting their customers’ privacy and providing a service they can trust.
Visit a California emergency room and it’s likely a doctor will check a patient’s medical record on the computer terminal in the room. But there could be critical information missing that the state tracks — the person’s prescription opioid use.
California's departments of General Services and Technology have failed to provide adequate oversight of billions of dollars in noncompetitive state contracts, according to a blistering state audit released Tuesday.
In a direct rebuke to the Republican Congress, one California lawmaker is pushing legislation that would limit what Internet providers can do with customer data in the nation’s most populous state.
Lawmakers this week begin the task of reviewing hundreds of bills their peers in the other chamber sent them on issues ranging from bolstering cybersecurity, making government more transparent and holding state contractors accountable on IT projects.
Driverless cars, a fast-growing cybersecurity industry, electronic signatures on government contracts — these are just a few of the issues listed as a priority by lawmakers seeking to advance technology in Sacramento.
California will delay the July release of key control functions planned for its massive financial and accounting system overhaul, the head of the project told lawmakers Thursday. The delay of the control functions rests with the state’s confidence to ensure the integrity of California’s finances.
