California Briefs: Governor’s Appointment, 3K Miles of Broadband Milestone, GenAI Tackles Housing & Jobs, $135M for Zero-Emission Vehicles

0
557

Gov. Newsom Announces Appointment

David Sadwick, of Los Angeles, Dec. 12 was appointed chief counsel at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control. Sadwick has been deputy chief counsel at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control since 2024. He was assistant chief counsel for Enforcement at the California Department of Toxic Substances Control from 2021 to 2024. Sadwick was a co-founder and managing partner at Tatro Tekosky Sadwick LLP from 2003 to 2021. He was counsel at Johnson & Tekosky LLP from 2000 to 2003. Sadwick had two roles at Preston Gates & Ellis LLP from 1995 and 2000, including Los Angeles managing partner from 1999 to 2000 and Los Angeles recruiting partner from 1995 to 1999. He was a senior environmental associate attorney at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft from 1992 to 1995. Sadwick was a senior environmental associate attorney at Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe from 1990 to 1992. He was an associate attorney at O’Melveny & Myers from 1987 to 1989. Sadwick was a judicial law clerk at the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals from 1986 to 1987. He was a summer law clerk at the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office in 1984. Sadwick is a member of the California Lawyers Association. He earned his Juris Doctor’s degree from Stanford Law School and his Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from the University of California, San Diego. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $211,452. Sadwick is a Democrat.

California on Track to Surpass 3,000 Miles of Broadband Construction by End of Year

SACRAMENTO — By the end of 2024, more than 3,000 miles of the backbone “middle mile” broadband network will be under construction and expansion, paving the way to connect millions of Californians to high-speed internet. This publicly funded, owned and open-access network is set to be the nation’s largest.
The California Department of Technology or CDT recently sealed two more joint-build agreements with the Karuk Tribe in the northern part of the state and the Gateway Cities Council of Governments in the southern part of the state. These joint-build partnerships pave the way for 46 miles across county and tribal lands and a 73-mile stretch of network in southeast Los Angeles County, connecting 26 cities, many of them historically underserved communities.
Expanding the state’s broadband network is a key part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s build more, faster agenda delivering infrastructure upgrades across the state. Find projects building your community at build.ca.gov.
No matter where you live, access to reliable and affordable internet is essential to life in the 21st Century. The partnership with the Karuk Tribe and Gateway Cities Council of Governments combines grassroots planning with state resources to ensure the middle-mile broadband network enables locally planned last-mile broadband infrastructure projects.

The Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative ensures that California has a resilient, open-access broadband network enabling communities to connect to high-speed internet for generations to come. Roughly one in five Californians do not have access to reliable and affordable high-speed internet. Once complete, funding for last mile projects will support internet connections from middle mile lines to homes and businesses, as well as efforts to ensure individuals can afford broadband service where it already exists.

 

California Advances GenAI Projects to Streamline State Work on Housing, Budget and Jobs

SACRAMENTO — California has announced new progress in efforts to explore using GenAI to address issues for Californians: housing, budget, and jobs. The state is also launching a new website, GenAI.ca.gov, focused on the work happening in California.

This announcement follows September’s first large-scale GenAI innovator showcase event, where more than 30 tech innovators including Esri, Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and My Town AI presented how they can leverage GenAI to help solve critical challenges. Using the research gathered, the state has chosen to move into the next phase, a formal procurement process where innovators will bring solutions to the table and compete to partner with the state.

GenAI solutions for housing

Within the Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, the Department of Housing and Community Development or HCD is seeking to track the creation and implementation of housing plans, programs, and initiatives across the state more efficiently and quickly. The state posits that using GenAI may increase transparency and accuracy, enabling HCD to provide more equitable housing services across California.
Learn more about this work here.
GenAI solutions for workforce planning
The EDD is also working with the State Labor and Workforce Development Agency or LWDA to find innovative GenAI solutions to strengthen state and local workforce planning and policy development. The solution would refine statistical models to enhance recession forecasting and align economic predictions with emerging employment trends. The solution would help provide real-time data to address workforce challenges during recessions. In utilizing GenAI solutions the stated aim is to possibly produce more accurate recession forecasts to better inform state and local workforce planning and policy development.
Learn more about this work here.

GenAI solutions for finance
The DOF is seeking a solution to synthesize legislative bill analysis, which is a complex and lengthy process throughout the year. DOF staff work across multiple systems to complete this analysis, which is vital to the state budget. This work includes considering fiscal impacts to the state, stakeholder feedback, previous years’ analyses and other intricate information. The goal of the GenAI solution is to find ways to bring all data sets together and provide staff with comprehensive summaries they can consider early in their process.
Learn more about this work here.

 

Padilla Applauds Over $135 Million Coming to California for Zero-Emission Heavy-Duty Vehicles

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) Dec. 13 applauded the Environmental Protection Agency’s or EPA announcement of $135.2 million to help 12 California recipients purchase a combined 455 zero-emission vehicles. The funding comes from the Inflation Reduction Act as part of EPA’s new Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.

This program will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles or HDVs nationwide with zero-emission vehicles, while supporting the build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure and the training of workers to deploy these new technologies. The selected projects across California will reduce harmful emissions from HDVs, support good-paying jobs, and improve air quality in heavily trafficked communities that have been disproportionately harmed by air pollution.

Local California applicants receiving awards Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program include:

South Coast Air Quality Management District — $58.74 million. This investment for two projects will help replace up to 74 fossil fuel-powered school buses with zero-emission electric models and 126 high-mileage HDVs with battery-electric models. The school bus project will install 74 new chargers, while the HDV project will deploy 94 electric chargers. The projects will reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, particulate matter, and greenhouse gases, improving air quality and reducing district transportation costs.

Los Angeles Unified School District or LAUSD, Transportation Services Division — $20.37 million. This investment will help replace 50 fossil fuel-powered school buses with zero-emission electric models and install supporting electric charging infrastructure. This project will reduce emissions that contribute to poor air quality and support workforce development activities to train and recruit local community members for zero-emission technology-related jobs.

Details: Find a full list of the California projects selected here.

Tell us what you think about this story.