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California state computer systems fail new audit, at risk of serious security breaches

April 26, 2023

Once again, the California state government has failed to provide adequate computer and technology services to the state’s 39 million residents.

The Golden State remains the global center of private-sector information technology, yet Sacramento is incapable of harnessing the capabilities of Silicon Valley toward getting government technology up to speed.

The latest critique comes from State Auditor Grant Parks’ audit of the California Department of Technology.

The CDT, the auditor noted, “has broad responsibility and authority over nearly all aspects of IT in the state,” including strategic direction, security and project oversight. But it “has not fulfilled important responsibilities in these areas, resulting in significant consequences for the state.”

The CDT employs about 1,000 people and has been allocated $830 million in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s January budget proposal for fiscal year 2023-24. It is by no means a small department.

The ongoing failures of the department have led to two major consequences. First, the auditor noted “tens of millions of dollars in cost overruns and systems that do not fully function as intended.”

Second, and even more important, the state has been at risk of serious security breaches and failures. The auditor highlighted, as one example, a 2016 system outage that affected 122 out of 188 Department of Motor Vehicles offices. The outage impaired the ability of many offices from processing drivers licenses and other critical functions for as long as two weeks.

Getting the state’s IT sector in order is crucial because, as of November 2022, the state is spending an additional $3.7 billion on IT projects at 20 different agencies.

The state has suffered similar problems going back decades. In 1994, the Legislative Analyst found $1.3 billion worth of problems with 11 computer systems. In 2020, as COVID-19 spread, the Employment Development Department’s computers buckled, delaying checks to millions of the jobless, sometimes for months.

Parks’ recommendations include: 1. Ensure better accountability, including performance monitoring and evaluating strategic goals. 2. Prioritize responsibilities, including “focusing efforts in key areas when goals or due dates are in conflict.” 3. Urgently assess the state’s information security. 4. Pass laws to ensure the independence of IT project oversight.

These all sound like common sense. If only state government officials could focus on the basics of government.

“Our state government’s lack of modern IT safeguards not only jeopardizes the functionality of agencies and departments, but wastes taxpayer resources and potentially risks the sensitive information Californians entrust to their state government,” Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, R-Rancho Santa Margarita, told us.

She sits on both the Assembly Appropriations and Budget committees. She called on Newsom to “do more to ensure the security of our state’s digital infrastructure.”

It ought to be one of his top priorities. Instead of campaigning in other states, Newsom should drop by Silicon Valley and see if anyone wants to help state government catch up with the 21st century.

Orange County Register

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California state computer systems fail new audit, at risk of serious security breaches

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