State Computers 75% Free of Y2K Problems

State authorities said Wednesday that California has completed nearly three-quarters of the Y2K repairs on computers critical to public health and safety functions.

But Gov. Gray Davis also warned that state government faces a major challenge in correcting remaining problems before they threaten to disrupt essential services at the start of next year.

On Wednesday, Davis ordered a halt to any state government computer project not related to the Y2K problem. He also assigned a new high-level team of state and private experts to oversee the repairs and--just in case they fail--ordered disaster officials to prepare a contingency plan.

“In 317 days, at the stroke of midnight, California will enter a new year, a new century and a new millennium,” Davis told reporters. “At precisely that same stroke of midnight, we will know whether or not California met the Y2K challenge and is prepared to enter the Information Age.

“I believe we will be prepared,” Davis continued. “It will not be easy. Not all of our mission-critical functions are currently up to speed.”

Vince Hall, the governor’s chief of staff, said that about 75% of the Y2K work has been completed on crucial computer systems, which he defined as those that have “some direct effect on the life, health and safety” of California residents.

Hall declined to identify the specific systems that still need repair. But he listed traffic signals, fire engines and water pumps as examples of machinery that contain computers or computer chips subject to the Y2K problem.

The Y2K bug involves computers that use two-digit numbers to identify the year and may be unable to recognize 00 as the year 2000. Experts fear that some of those computers could fail at 12 a.m. on Jan. 1.

Davis said the state’s stepped-up effort will also provide assistance to local and county governments. And he sought to assure a sometimes wary public that the government will continue to provide its essential services.

At the same time, however, Davis assigned a special emergency team to consider plans for a “worst-case scenario” in which major computer failures threaten key public functions.

That contingency plan will be coordinated by the state office of emergency services with the California National Guard, the California Highway Patrol, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, the Department of Water Resources, the Emergency Medical Services Authority and the Public Utilities Commission.

Davis also signed an executive order Wednesday that creates three more Y2K response teams.

The lead organization, which has yet to be appointed, will include private industry experts as well as government officials who will report directly to the governor. Other groups will focus on public communication and oversight of the government repair projects.

Along with the announcement Wednesday, Davis released an overdue quarterly report on the state’s progress in Y2K repairs. The report was completed in January by the previous administration of Gov. Pete Wilson, and Davis officials said their experts had not yet verified the study’s findings.

The Wilson report said one-third of the state’s crucial computer systems were still in need of examination or repair. It also calculated that the state has spent more than $340 million on Y2K repairs since they began in 1996.

On Tuesday, a report by the independent legislative analyst’s office was critical of the budget proposal Davis released last month because it did not contain more money for Y2K repairs. The total cost of the repairs has been estimated at as much as $1 billion.

Davis officials said they hoped to pay for some of the remaining repairs by halting state computer projects that do not involve Y2K problems. But they said they had not determined how much money would ultimately be needed.

“This is a big job,” Davis said. “A lot rides on it.”