The California State Assembly had until May 10 to reject the consolidation plan, which is part of a multibillion dollar cost-cutting proposal from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. The deadline passed without objection.
Takai and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO) will absorb and oversee the state's Department of Technology Services -- currently managing two of California's largest data centers -- as well as the Office of Information Security and Privacy Protection and the Department of General Services' telecommunications division, which manages 911 call centers and public safety radio. Under the plan, Chief Information Security Officer Mark Weatherford and Technology Services Director P.K. Agarwal will report to Takai.
Takai has said the consolidation will be federated, meaning Takai and OCIO would oversee IT procurement, overarching technology strategy and other statewide functions, while individual state agencies would continue to control their IT budgets and be able to choose technology equipment that's critical to their business needs.
Schwarzenegger estimates it will save at least $1.5 billion over the next five years.
The Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency, signed off on the consolidation proposal in March.
A May 2008 survey of California's IT structure revealed the state has:
- 8,000 to 10,000 IT employees, including 130 CIOs;
- $3 billion in annual IT expenditures;
- more than 100 different e-mail systems and supports 180,000 mailboxes; and
- 9,500 servers it owns and operates.
