State Called Unprepared For Y2K Mess Audit contradicts governor over computer readiness

Greg Lucas, Chronicle Sacramento Bureau Friday, February 19, 1999

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Contrary to Governor Gray Davis' assurances, more than two-thirds of California's most critical computer systems are not ready to handle the Year 2000 bug, state auditors said yesterday.

In all, 11 of 14 state agencies, which operate 20 of the government's most important computer programs, have not finished testing their revamped systems. Half of those agencies have yet to assess the threat posed to some of their operations by time- sensitive microchips. Those ``embedded'' chips control heating units in state buildings, traffic lights, electric fences around prisons and the water-release doors of the giant California Aqueduct.

On Monday, Davis said 75 percent of the state's essential computer systems had squashed the Year 2000 bug.

``We're saying just the reverse,'' said Kurt Sjoberg, the state's auditor general. ``Two-thirds are not remediated.''

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There is no way that the govenor can look at the figures and come out saying that the state is doing well. He is LYING through his teeth.

California is toast. This is just one more in a never ending example of Government officials LYING through their teeth in regard to Y2K readiness.

Go ahead, read the whole article. You think California is the only state in that position?

In a few short months the actual state of affairs will be readily apparent and all the pollyannas will be so 'surprised'. But it will be too late for them to prepare properly because everyone will be heading for the exits at the same time.

Won't be long now till the idiot pollyannas receive their well deserved come- uppances.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi- bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/1999/02/19/MN60444.DTL Paul Milne If you live within five miles of a 7-11, you're toast.

-- a (a@a.a), February 19, 1999

Answers

I read that one too. I agree, we can expect more "gotchas" as testing and independant audits reveal that things are not quite as rosy as they are portrayed.

The other thing I noticed was how quickly Gov.Davis acknowledged the auditor general's findings, then immediately said it was the fault of the previous administration! Even if it was, Mr. Governor, what are you going to do now?

If it really IS true that California leads the nation, can we then expect more finger pointing nationwide as "compliant" systems fail in testing? If so, the second half of 1999 will sound awfully shrill.

- Margaret "it wasn't me! it wasn't me!"

-- Margaret Janssen (janssm@aol.com), February 19, 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

And ...

LINKS: Know Your State of California & Y2K Information Sources

http://www.greenspun.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id= 000W6i

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

Is Davis another re-lie-a-Bill Democrat?

-- Robert A. Cook, P.E. (Kennesaw, GA) (Cook.r@csaatl.com), February 19, 1999.

I sensed something was very wrong in California when I read the muddled words in the Executive Summary to the Oct. 1998 State of CA Quarterly Progress Report

http://www.year2000.ca.gov/Correspondence/CA2000OctQtrlyRpt.pdf

which tries to smile through its tears, and like NERC, counts the systems requiring no remediation towards the percent completed.

It was a mixed picture at the very best, yet based on this, an encouraging story ran a few weeks ago in the L.A. Times in which an analyst with NASIRE stated that California was ahead of all the states in the nation. !#$%!

-- Debbie Spence (dbspence@usa.net), February 19, 1999.

I likewise wish to thank Diane, Kevin, pshannon, Leska, a, Robert, and the many other good minds here for many-sided, lucid discussions, and digging up and posting the links and commentary that you do. My gratitude to you for this is really brought home to me with the emerging mess here in California. Without the group effort here it would take me 10 or 100 times as long to hone in on things I need to know about my home state, and in fact I might well not be doing it at all, because it is so very labor intensive, as are working, sleeping, eating, shopping, preparing, driving in the freeway smog, etc. etc.

Instead, I might be relying on these fantasy pieces that keep appearing in the L.A. Times, like my DH still is. I've a good mind to grab the paper and tear out all the Y2k articles out of it before it gets in the house!!! (I wore out my welcome with him shoving internet printouts in front of his face, but maybe now it's time to try again.) Thank you all collectively, for taking the time which you probably barely have enough of in your day, either.

-- Debbie Spence (dbspence@usa.net), February 20, 1999.

Debbie -

I had sent the LA Times "75% Ready" article to some friends yesterday. When I followed it up with the SF Chronicle article, I commented that "the news is changing, and it isn't for the better." Hey, at least the Times printed something. The San Diego Union-Tribune STILL hasn't picked up the story...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), February 20, 1999.

Hey, does anyone here in California remember every hearing ex Governor Wilson ever say anything about Y2k?

Just curious...

I don't even think Y2k made the L.A. Times until very late last year. California government, taken as a whole, seems to have been asleep about Y2k. At least now they've started blaming each other. Isn't that what politicians do?

Mike ===============================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), February 20, 1999.

Back in December I was watching KET, Kentucky's public service TV station. Some guy had folks from the state level evaluating the Y2K problem. What I got out of it was this. The auditor who had to certify the budget for fiscal 2000 said he was seriously considering stamping it "with reservation". Sounded like that meant a big ol' black mark. His reasoning was that he wasn't convinced the state will be able to satisfy its commitments when Y2K comes crashing down around our ears. Very weird. He also mentioned his cohorts who were going to have to give the same ratings in the northeast for the same reason. Lots of reasons keep me preparing. This is one of them.

-- margie mason (mar3mike@aol.com), February 20, 1999.