California

Three Los Angeles departments recently announced a joint plan to tackle the digital divide with a focus on IT upskilling, digital literacy through library technology and remote digital accessibility utilizing the public park system.

The names, social security numbers, birth dates and other confidential information of around 769,000 retirees and beneficiaries was stolen when hackers exploited a vulnerability in a CalPERS vendor’s system.

Forum Mobility is developing a charging depot to support up to 96 electric drayage trucks serving the port of Oakland in the California Bay Area. Projects like this one are essential to meeting the state’s electric trucking requirements.

Plus, the White House directs more funds toward rural Internet, Michigan announces statewide campaign to increase Affordable Connectivity Program enrollment, and more.

The state published the 2023-2024 Budget Act earlier this week and, if approved by lawmakers, it will fund IT projects at the Department of Social Services, the Department of Motor Vehicles and other state entities.

Lynn Fyhrlund is just three weeks into his role with the California county, where he'll be working to guide several system replacements as well as to craft a new IT strategic plan.

The California State Parks system recently unveiled a new virtual and augmented reality app for visitors to dive into the lives of new cultures while exploring California’s natural landscapes.

The ALERTCalifornia network has the capability to funnel data to researchers studying the multiple environmental causes of wildfires, while also granting the public and first responders real-time visual access to detect threats.

Two groups are leading an effort to stop law enforcement agencies in California from sharing captured license plate data with agencies in states that have criminalized abortion. They fear the data could lead to charges.

Bonaguro, an award-winning technologist with experience in the public and private sectors, announced via Twitter that May 31 had been her last day in the CDO role. She was appointed to the position in January 2020.

State lawmakers argue that the state Department of Motor Vehicles has so badly mishandled the driverless car industry that it can't be trusted to oversee big rigs barreling down the highways autonomously.

A bipartisan California bill that would make big tech pay publishers for using news that drives profits passed the state Assembly, despite a threat from Facebook parent Meta that it would remove news from its platforms.

Minnesota is the fourth state to require manufacturers to share parts and repair information.

In two California localities, the city of Fresno and Merced County, partnerships with a private company have helped to create an ecosystem that enables the advancement of digital equity initiatives.

The California Civil Rights Department has launched a statewide hotline and website, CA vs. Hate, which aims to provide a safe and anonymous method for reporting the occurrence of hate incidents and crimes.

This week, dozens of bills were quietly killed for the year. Among those that won’t become law this term was a proposal to reduce the potential for AI-based discrimination in areas like health care, housing and employment.

The Southern California Association of Governments — a planning organization that represents six counties, 191 cities and over 19 million residents — is offering access to a resource made to power data-driven decisions for even the smallest cities.

An event at the Santa Cruz County Office of Education this weekend will have school officials from Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley, Santa Clara and Sacramento to present three-year roadmaps to improve digital literary.