California

The director of the state Department of Tax and Fee Administration is stepping in for Government Operations Agency Secretary Amy Tong. The former state CIO will continue to lead on efforts around innovation and efficiency.

Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new digital democracy initiative to connect residents with government officials in times of disaster and allow them to express their concerns.

Jon Gjestvang, who led IT for the Bay Area county through wildfires and the COVID-19 pandemic, will wrap his 23-year career as CIO at the end of February. The organization’s deputy CIO will take over as interim CIO.

Leaders at Adobe, NVIDIA and Intel share their aspirations and intentions for a recently announced partnership for AI education and workforce development through the California State University System.

Cal State’s deputy vice-chancellor of academic and student affairs, its chief information officer, and a San Francisco State University anthropology professor take different stances on a $16.9 million AI initiative.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Monday announced it will start with Phase 2 debris removal at private residential properties in the Eaton and Palisades wildfire impact zones this week.

The Eureka City Council tossed a contract to install 21 automated license plate reader cameras throughout the city at a Tuesday meeting, with a vote that came after public opposition to the tech.

In collaboration with Instructure, Alphabet, Nvidia, Intel, AWS, Microsoft, OpenAI and others, the California State University system is to roll out AI tools and training to all students, faculty and staff.

The CZU inferno destroyed about 700 homes in Santa Cruz County. Of those, 127 residences have been rebuilt and another 134 are under construction, according to the county.

Stanislaus County leaders held a discussion Tuesday about call transfer times as they sorted through an ongoing controversy over emergency dispatch services.

Now under new leadership, the California High-Speed Rail Authority is set to move into a new phase of development. Plans are to begin train service in the Central Valley in five to eight years.

Watch Duty’s success raises questions about why citizen-led tech is outpacing government emergency response efforts. The company’s co-founder explores the lessons agencies can learn from this citizen-driven model.

In the Bay Area, two of the largest city fire departments are stretched, raising questions about their ability to protect against wind-driven infernos like the fires that continue to burn in and around Los Angeles.

San Francisco has launched a re-platformed SF.gov, with new content management for better flexibility and in-house management. A new design system is intended to improve access and visual consistency.

Months before thousands of Los Angeles homes went up in flames, property insurance companies dropped coverage in many neighborhoods, citing the growing wildfire risks caused by climate change.

At a Community Police Review Board meeting, Modesto Police Chief Brandon Gillespie attributed an apparent leap in traffic stops in 2023 to software issues that affected data reporting in 2022.

These funds can be key to breaking the innovation stalemate. In California, funding nimble, high-impact solutions can help replace inertia with action to modernize IT systems and deliver better services for the public.

An app built on a ranch in rural Sonoma County, supported by solar panels, satellite Internet and a small nonprofit team, is a critical tech hub for free and reliable info about the Los Angeles fires.