Heard about this on local PBS radio this morning and then found this LA Times article on the Web: State Computers 75% Free of Y2K Problems

Sounds to me like Gov. Davis just got current status on California Y2K work and realized that we're in pretty deep yogurt. What's rather interesting is that the radio lead off by saying that Davis had replaced the State "CIO", but the LA Times article doesn't really say this. The Times does note that Davis has created a new oversight group and some new response teams. And that 75% number applies only to "mission-critical" systems, which as we all know means that some very-important-but-not-mission-critical systems are going to get very unreliable Real Soon Now.

And having said all that: It's February, 1999. If they aren't already testing the fixes, they'd better be creating contingency plans for not having those mission-critical systems.

And while I'm about it: Where was the !@#$%^& LA Times when all this critical work was NOT getting done last year? Publishing smug little articles about Y2K hype, just like the San Diego Union-Tribune and the Sacramento Bee and the San Jose Mercury and all the rest.

Just makes me want to yell at someone, it does...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), February 18, 1999

Answers

Hi, Mac --

I wouldn't read anything into Davis' replacement of the state's CIO. At this point, he's getting rid of all of Wilson's old department heads and replacing them with his own people, and I can't imagine why this one would be any exception.

-- Pam G. (Pam95818@aol.com), February 18, 1999.

See also ...

State of California -- Called Unprepared For Y2K Mess

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000W5X

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), February 19, 1999.

Pam - Point taken. Cleaning house is standard with a new regime.

Diane - Yes, I just saw that. Criminey. Y2K gets more like the weather all the time: just wait 24 hours and it'll change!

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), February 19, 1999.