Computer Project Limits Proposed

Stunned by the failure of a $44-million Department of Motor Vehicles computer project, the Legislature is determined to put the brakes on the proliferation of high-tech systems throughout state government.

In a series of bipartisan actions, legislators inserted into Gov. Pete Wilson’s proposed state budget scores of amendments designed to avert a repeat of the DMV fiasco. Enactment of the budget is expected this week.

The precautionary moves also reflected an expanding belief among legislators that state government is speeding dangerously toward the information superhighway without adequate expertise, supervision and controls.

One critic, Assemblywoman Debra Bowen (D-Marina del Rey), has warned that the DMV failure may be the tip of a “multibillion-dollar iceberg.”

The chief thrust of the budget amendments is the requirement that experts be hired from outside government to give advice and make recommendations on automated technology decisions that normally are made by bureaucrats. But instead of allowing each government department to hire its own experts--a practice that critics say can skew objectivity--the departments would choose outside consultants hired by the Bureau of State Audits, an investigative agency that reports to the Legislature.

“If it had not been for the DMV fiasco, you wouldn’t see all the concern that you’re seeing now,” said a highly placed legislative source. “The DMV thing was kind of an icebreaker. It sensitized the Legislature.”

Among the amendments offered this week, legislative budget negotiators took the unusual step of ordering the Bureau of State Audits to hire an independent computer consultant to evaluate further DMV plans for upgrading its obsolete databases before more expenditures are authorized.

Budget writers also refused to provide another $7.5 million sought by the DMV to salvage remnants of its failed system and invest in what many lawmakers regarded as an uncertain new course.

In a separate action, legislative fiscal committees proposed that the audits bureau thoroughly investigate the management responsibilities of the powerful state Office of Information Technology.

The office is charged with overseeing and monitoring the state’s expanding $1-billion-a-year computer programs.

The staff of watchdog Legislative Analyst Elizabeth Hill recently roasted the agency for alleged lack of leadership. The criticism included failure to develop a statewide operating plan, approval of incompatible systems and the collection of redundant data in separate computer operations.

“This has resulted in major problems, lost opportunities and a significantly costlier application of computer technology without commensurate benefits,” Hill charged.

Further, legislative budget conferees ordered the audits bureau to hire an outside computer expert to carefully monitor development of an ambitious $800-million automated information system for the administration of health and welfare programs.

Although still in its infancy, the 12-year project eventually is to connect all counties in the state, including populous Los Angeles County, which is pursuing its own $100-million system. But the statewide project already has raised questions about whether its contracts will be open to competitive bidding by vendors and whether other systems may be more effective and economical.

The legislative budget negotiators want to avoid a repeat of the DMV scandal, in which major contracts were awarded without open competition.

“The bottom line is to ensure that two or three years from now, the statewide welfare tracking system doesn’t look like the DMV fiasco,” said a legislative expert who asked not to be identified.

During the last seven years, the DMV sought to upgrade its antiquated 1960s drivers license and vehicle registration databases. But for a variety of reasons, ranging from allegedly unrealistic expectations to bureaucrats being misled by computer industry hype, the $44-million project encountered major hurdles and was abandoned late last year.

Although some lawmakers were suspicious, the magnitude of the trouble went mostly undetected until the legislative analyst’s staff sounded the alarm in February.