Blog

Writing in plain language is an essential part of ODI’s mission to work to achieve exceptional, equitable, outcomes for all Californians. Plain language is text your audience can understand the first time they read it. It can especially help people in a time of crisis, including the loss of a loved one. CalAcademy is ODI’s … Read more

The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) collaborates with state departments to improve services for Californians. We help teams across the state make customer-focused, data-driven decisions. ODI partnered with the California State Water Resources Control Board’s (Water Boards) Division of Drinking Water to forecast the impact of drought on our community water systems. In this … Read more

In the rapidly evolving world of data, the Chief Data Officer (CDO) role has become increasingly vital to government operations. But what does a CDO really do? The answer can look different depending on the organization. Still, the core responsibilities often revolve around three key areas: advocating for people, developing a strategy to drive better … Read more

It’s an honor to be the State of California’s new Assistant Chief Data Officer! I’m immensely grateful to be trusted with this responsibility by Governor Newsom, the Director of the Office of Data and Innovation (ODI), Jeffery Marino, and California’s State Chief Data Officer, Jason Lally. ODI’s vision of a California state government that is equitable, … Read more

The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) had the honor of welcoming Robert L. Santos, Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, to our Sacramento headquarters on June 12. Director Santos joined ODI Director Jeffery Marino and Amy Tong, Secretary of the Government Operations Agency (GovOps), as part of the bureau’s planning for the 2030 Census. … Read more

The California Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) and the California Department of Human Resources (CalHR) are partnering to provide skills and knowledge training to prepare state staff to safely deploy generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools.  A new learning pathway, the Foundations of GenAI Certificate, is available now for current state employees looking to grow … Read more

Hello, California! I’m thrilled to introduce myself as your new Chief Data Officer (CDO) and I am honored that the Governor has entrusted me with this role. I am also excited to work with our Director, Jeffery Marino, to fulfill the Office of Data and Innovation’s vision of helping the State deliver exceptional services to … Read more

Delivering a project on time and on budget is traditionally cause for a celebration. It means that tasks have been checked off, and the deliverable has been met. But is the work really over? (Should it be?) Those questions are the mindset difference between traditional project management and product management. For the Office of Data … Read more

In January 2024, California launched Building California’s future (build.ca.gov). It’s a website that shares how the state is investing billions in infrastructure. The key to all this transparency? Making it easy to understand with plain language. Plain language is text your audience can understand the first time they read it.  A historic opportunity Infrastructure funding … Read more

The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) is beginning 2024 with an important new initiative. As part of our mission to build a culture of innovation within state government, ODI is launching its training program known as CalAcademy. The goal is simple: to make sure state workers have access to learn 21st Century innovative skills … Read more

Collaboration for the win! The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) and Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) are proud to have earned a joint award for Best IT Collaboration. The award was announced at the California Government Innovation Summit in Sacramento on September 19.  The recognition is for our innovative, collaborative, and human-centered design … Read more

California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) is a major safety net program. A recent study estimated 40% of eligible families are not enrolled in CalWORKs. The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) worked with the Department of Social Services to explore enrollment barriers. We learned that: Learn more about the details of helping … Read more

The Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) gives Californians the opportunity to comment on proposed toxic substance cleanup projects. They wanted to bring in people who have historically not been part of making decisions. The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) worked with DTSC to find ways to give these communities a bigger voice in … Read more

The California Victims Compensation Board (CalVCB) offers financial assistance to victims of crime. While violent crime has gone up over time in California, applications for compensation have gone down. The Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) worked with CalVCB to: We learned that: Learn more about the details of getting compensation to more California crime … Read more

One duty of the Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) is to oversee permitting and cleanups of toxic substances. This includes engaging with the communities near properties where environmental cleanup is necessary.  In an effort to increase public comment, the Office of Data and Innovation (ODI) and DTSC worked on expanding engagement with Californians. We … Read more

ODI and the California Department of Technology (CDT) won Best IT Collaboration for our combined efforts on the California Design System. We accepted the award at the Digital Government Summit in Sacramento.  The Design System is a set of core principles, style guidelines, and components that makes it easier for state departments to develop user-friendly … Read more

Same initials, new expanded team.

Working in crisis response is tough. We got through it by taking time to care for each other.

We talk about content design a lot. Here’s what it is and why we use it.

True to our core principles, ODI has found a way to fund and foster projects that put Californians first.

ODI uses plain language in its projects to make sure all Californians get the information they need.

Learn about the decisions we made (and why we made them) in putting the Design System together.

Working in the open is important to us. Here’s what that looks like in our work on the California Design System.

We’re excited to congratulate Jeffery Marino and JP Petrucione on their new roles at the Office of Digital Innovation (ODI).