Posted by
Playful Walrus on Wednesday, February 09, 2011 7:02:43 PM
In today's
Los Angeles Times, there is
a painful example of what is wrong with government in California. Patrick McGreevy reports.
A computer modernization project for the state's court system has soared in cost from $260 million to as much as $1.9 billion [that’s $1,900,000,000!!!] and is now so far over budget and behind schedule that it should be put on hold and reconsidered, a new state audit has found.
The project, the California Court Case Management System, is supposed to modernize and link court computers in California's 58 counties. But it has been beset with problems almost since it was started in 2001, spurring legislators to ask for the audit. The system was supposed to be finished in 2009 but now may not be ready until 2016, and even then it could be incomplete, according to the scathing 143-page audit by state Auditor Elaine Howle.
It’s not like California has any
experts in computer systems, or anything. Something tells me the system will be obsolete before being completed.
The expensive project began as a more modest effort involving a handful of courts. It is now supposed to allow all courts to instantly update information on cases so the information is available throughout the state. If it works, the system will give residents the ability to file documents electronically without visiting a courthouse.
Think about this when we are told to vote for tax increase extensions.