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California Sets Guidelines for Reporting Spending on Information Security

The California Department of Technology said Tuesday it has updated management guidelines to comply with legislation that Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2016 requiring all state entities to report their annual costs for information security.

… “Without knowing how much we are currently spending, there is no way for the Legislature to consider how effective the new spending is and how the security needs of one state department compare to another,” Irwin told the panel last year”...

High School Students Gain Real World Experience in C.I.T.Y. Program

(Thousand Oaks) – A program first envisioned by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) when she was a member of the Thousand Oaks city council has flourished, providing opportunities and experience to hundreds of high school juniors. The Community Internships Training Youth (C.I.T.Y.), connects high school juniors with local organizations who need interns and allows them to gain first-hand experience, while working with local businesses. Assemblymember Irwin says, since being elected to the State Assembly, her office has partnered with C.I.T.Y. program, and has had several exceptional interns in her office. Here’s more in this Assembly Assets video created by City of Thousand Oaks TOTV NewsNet.

UC Merced business incubator is looking at branching into Atwater, Modesto

Merced Sun-Star

New funding could help the UC Merced Venture Lab expand not only in Merced but also into Atwater and Modesto, the university announced Tuesday.

Each of the 10 University of California campuses will receive $2.2 million in one-time funding from Assembly Bill 2664, known as “University of California: innovation and entrepreneurship expansion,” authored by Assemblywoman Jacqui Irwin, D-Thousand Oaks, and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown in the fall, according to the university.

Assemblymember Irwin: 2016 Legislative Update

(Thousand Oaks) – When the 2015/16 legislative session ended earlier this year it became very clear Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin (D-Thousand Oaks) was very successful in making positive changes for her constituents and the state of California. Legislation she wrote this session bans powdered alcohol, improves the state’s cyber security infrastructure, helps University of California scientists convert their research into products that benefit society, removes barriers to military personnel accessing mental health services, and expands the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. Here’s more of Assemblymember Irwin legislative highlights in this Assembly Access video.

Statement by Chair of the Assembly Committee on Veterans Affairs

I am outraged that Soldiers and their families who innocently relied on enlistment promises the Guard made to them have been told to repay that money. Later today I will sign a joint letter from both the Assembly and the Senate Veterans Affairs Committees urging Congress to act on this matter. However, I am greatly concerned that relief, even once Congress acts, will come too late for Soldiers who have already complied with orders to repay.  I have asked the Guard for an accounting of how many such soldiers are affected.  I want to make sure that those innocent soldiers who complied quickly are also taken into account in any solution. It is important to note,  the California National Guard established the Soldier Incentive and Assistance Center (SIAC) to advocate for affected soldiers and support their appeals. Through this process, the California National Guard has helped about 4,500 soldiers retain approximately $40 million in bonus money. We will update you as we work to resolve this important issue.

California Veteran’s Committees Letter to Congress
Regarding National Guard Bonuses

Read Joint Letter

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Legislating Cybersecurity: Lawmakers Recognize Their Responsibility with Cyberthreats

Legislators who take the time to study cybersecurity issues and ask tough questions of CIOs and CISOs are still the exception rather than the rule. But that may be changing.

In March 2016, just a few weeks after a contentious legislative oversight hearing, Michele Robinson, California’s chief information security officer (CISO), stepped down. The Feb. 24 hearing’s focus was a 2015 audit that questioned the state government’s cybersecurity preparedness.

Governor Signs Bill on Cyberincident Response Standards

A year after a scathing report described California’s information security as weak and vulnerable, Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed legislation intended to beef up state agency response standards.

Editorial: Perseverance pays off for veteran housing

The city of Ventura is one step closer to adding more housing for local veterans, with its move to take back east-side land it had given to the state for the project.

It has been a long, uphill, bureaucratic slog to get to this point, and the deal is not done yet.

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