Calif State Systems Y2k Work Completed?????

greenspun.com : LUSENET : TimeBomb 2000 (Y2000) : One Thread

Article headline says 'work complete' First paragraph says 'effectively complete' 4th paragraph says 'still minor problems to fix' 5th paragraph says 'has done just about everything' Last paragraph says 'less critical not upgraded' How's that for confusing??? Sheri ----------- State Y2K work complete, tech chief says Sacramento Bee

By Stephen Green Bee Capitol Bureau (Published Dec. 3, 1999) State government's multimillion-dollar effort to rid critical computer systems of the year 2000 bug is "effectively complete," California's technology chief reported Thursday. Elias Cortez said in an interview that he has "a high level of confidence" that state services and public safety programs will not be disrupted by computer stalls or failures when clocks strike midnight on New Year's Eve. But if there are what he described as hiccups in the state's vast technology systems, Cortez said all 116 departments, boards and commissions have contingency plans to keep critical government functions in operation. Those plans include temporarily shifting to an all-paper system or using backup computer systems. The two agencies that still have minor problems to fix are the Youth Authority, which is to be finished by today, and the Department of Toxic Substances Control, which has new computer chips on order for testing equipment at its Berkeley laboratory. Those are to be installed by Dec. 15, a department spokesman said. Cortez's Department of Information Technology "has done just about everything it can to get the job done," said Ana Brannen, who has monitored the process for the Legislative Analyst's Office. Mike Jacob, a spokesman for Assemblyman John Dutra, D-Fremont, who chairs the technology committee in the lower house, said he agrees with Brannen's assessment. Jacob cautioned, however, that counties have many computer links to state government operations, such as licensing and crime data banks. There is potential for disruption of some of those links, he said. But Cortez said the state teamed with counties to solve their Y2K problems and helped develop contingency plans to continue operations if those systems fail. State government has a troubled history with the management and installation of some of its computer systems. Until recently, the state had thousands prison cell doors that were programmed to recognize only the last two digits of a year. It was feared they would not work properly beginning Jan. 1, 2000, when computers would assume the date was 1900. Even though some Y2K work had been under way in state government since the late 1980s, the effort had little momentum until 1996, when John Thomas Flynn, Cortez's predecessor, formed an interagency task force to examine the potential for problems. But the Department of Finance rejected Flynn's request for funds to do a statewide inventory of Y2K problems and develop a risk-assessment model. Flynn eventually got then-Gov. Pete Wilson's ear, and steps were ordered to make all mission-critical systems free of the bug by the end of 1998. When that date came, state officials estimated about 65 percent of the job was done. Soon after taking office in January, Gov. Gray Davis kicked the program into high gear and expanded requirements for testing and contingency plans. Davis also convened a group of what Cortez said were the creme de la creme[I] [/I]of Silicon Valley computer executives to advise the state on the best ways to solve its problems. "That collaboration, which the executives did for free, brought tremendous benefits to the state and enabled us to move much more quickly," thanks to the knowledge and innovations their companies had developed, Cortez said. For most of this year, the state's 6,500 technology employees have been working on Y2K problems. By Nov. 1, $320 million had been spent on the effort, and the total could reach $357 million by the end of the fiscal year. The state also has many systems and desktop computers considered less critical to operations that have not been upgraded. But Cortez said substantial progress is being made in that area and, he stressed, agencies have contingency plans if those systems fail. wncy2k@nccn.net), December 06, 1999

Answers

0 of 15 state agencies met Gov. Davis' Dec 31, 1998 deadline...

LINK

Now they're 100% ready. I thought David Cooperfield was a good magician. We have very short memories and believe politicians. Potentially fatal mistakes.

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), December 06, 1999.


My apologies.. David Copperfield

-- PJC (paulchri@msn.com), December 06, 1999.

....Pete Wilson's ear, and steps were ordered to make all mission-critical systems free of the bug by the end of 1998. When that date came, state officials estimated about 65 percent of the job was done. Soon after taking office in January, Gov. Gray Davis kicked the program into high gear...

I still remember the look on (ashen)Gray Davis' face at a news conference shortly after he took office and discussed Y2K progress. I don't remember the exact words, but he gave the distinct impression that little had been done under Squeaky Pete, and there was MUCH left to do.

-- Linda (lwmb@psln.com), December 06, 1999.


Moderation questions? read the FAQ