In his first-ever state budget this year, Gov. Gavin Newsom called for a new ODI to drive innovation. The Legislature approved the budget June 13, creating the new agency with a staff of 50, funded by $26.1 million including $10 million to seed a Digital Innovation Services Revolving Fund. The new entity will come under the Government Operations Agency (GovOps), which also encompasses the California Department of Technology (CDT).
Newsom signed the budget Thursday.
With a new ODI waiting in the wings, CDT announced that the existing ODI will be renamed the Office of Enterprise Technology (OET), effective immediately. Its leader, state Chief Digital Innovation Officer Scott Gregory, will become the chief technology innovation officer.
ODI and OET are “sister” organizations, CDT said in a news release, and “fall under the purview” of GovOps. In a statement, state CIO and CDT Director Amy Tong distinguished the new ODI's mission.
Not all challenges can be solved by technology alone, Tong said, "so ODI will be a vital resource for coming up with innovative, human-centered design solutions."
Gregory said in a statement that the name change reflects his office’s evolving role.
“We chose to rename our organization so that it reflects our role in supporting foundational, statewide technology offerings that will promote and enable innovation across government. The Office of Enterprise Technology will play a key allied role by supporting the new ODI and the initiatives it tackles,” Gregory said, describing himself as confident that the relationship between the new ODI and his agency will be “completely complementary.”
