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Friday, August 3, 2012

HOW CAN OUR CITY COMMUNICATE WITH ANTIQUATED COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY.

San Francisco is not far from the center of all the latest Computer Invocation  - the Silicon Valley - that the the world acknowledges.


Right here in San Francisco - you would be surprised - the City and County of San Francisco at City Hall - still embraces Windows 95 and Windows 97.


Right now the many folks that have email - have a system that fails the embrace the latest technology - making it difficult to communicate - and failing to do due justice to those that want to use technology - more the latest technology to better - ourselves and be productive.


It becomes a mockery when some of our City leaders pretend that they are for TWITTER giving them large tax breaks. Learning  to twit and you can twit all you and be a fool.


For starters even the simple cell telephone you use is more powerful than most of the antiquated computers - at City Hall.


Encouraging other Technology Companies to come to San Francisco - promising them tax breaks - while all the time FAILING MISERABLY to address the dire situation with most of our City computers and the aging software - prevailing at City Hall and the many Departments that are - totally - dysfunctional.


Small department have been created - one is called EMPOWERMENT at City Hall to bring change but that is far from attaining any progress.  I chanced to meet some one from this group -  it has no clout - all talk and no walk.


Our San Francisco Police Department could not provide the SF Police Officers with the latest technology - not until recently.


It becomes a JOKE when the Federal Bureau of Investigation sends some critical information - and right off the bat - this information cannot be sent the majority of the SF Police Officers - for action.


With antiquated software linked to Windows 95 and Windows 97 - you can imagine how the SF Officers feel about the situation at hand. Most of them did not have access to the Internet with Chief Heather Fong - Chief Gregory Suhr has stepped up to the plate.

Technology is important first to understand the drastic evolution that is taking place every day and every week - with Cloud Systems - faster communication with broad band - and other bands reserved only for emergency purposes - those entities in charge of Health, Safety, and other such pertinent elements can address them - easily and with some certainty.


Not all our SF Board of Supervisor have their priorities in order - one or two comprehend the issues linked to the latest technology.


The Mayor's Office, the Contracting Office, the Department of Technology have been ripe with corruption. Cases have gone to Court and the world can read them.


Millions are wasted on Servers that are primitive. No one has the guts more the initiative to take a stand and fine tune the primitive system - more to get rid of it. Remember One Marker and the fiasco there.


The latest Grand Jury Report in but a scratch on the surface - if the Grand Jury had the real empirical data - it would be an embarrassment to any Investigative Reporter - and the tax payer would be in utter shock.


The folks knew this was coming - but they thought they could hoodwink the public and take us all for a ride.


For the longest period the SF Police Department could not QUERY Incident Reports - it had to be done manually.


It is only recently that new platforms will be built to address this dire situation. Again - when the higher better authorities pass information linked to Law Enforcement - we have a system comparable to 'Smoke Signals" - in this contemporary - digital world.


Many a time the City will send out an agenda - and we at home cannot open the document many a time a simple agenda - the reason is simple - the new software linked with say the PDF and Acrobat Software - changes and progresses - while the City remains stagnant - and fails to comprehend - less feel ashamed - how others perceive such embarrassing situations.


The many City Departments - the many Enterprise Departments - all have their own way of doing business. Recently one Enterprise Department that wastes millions - hired a consultant - to bring their employees up to par - understanding how to use computers and interface with some basic software.


The man did a great job - and helped to suggest and made many improvements. Two women in the IT Department did not like the progress and the on going improvement - this even though many from the upper Management had been trained by this individual.


Many of them - Upper Management - gave him recommendations - all the same two women from the IT Department at 1155 Market ganged up against him. The man was dejected and asked for my help. I tried but saw the system - preferred to deal itself a blow - shooting itself in the foot.


These two women ganged up on this man and had him fired. He took these women to Court and won his case. Today, he works for University of California San Francisco - and is appreciated. 


The reason I want to shed some light on this case - is because when someone good steps forward - idiots who cannot stand change and progress - will do all in their power to adversely impact - good people.


TWITTER and the other social media can take anyone so far. Having good computers, the latest software, having the ability to use broad band, Cloud Services, the latest software in sharing various platforms - all helps.


But, no one at San Francisco City Hall - wants to hear - about changes - and no one wants to save the City money. Most of the idiots in charge of contracting - are on the take - want to have business as usual - while the City and County of San Francisco - suffers. The tax payer forks out millions - and million more are wasted.


In recent months some changes have been made - to bring our email system up to par linked to some City Departments - this is a slow change - a breathe of fresh air.


All this in the year 2012. What were we doing all this time?


Even Espanola Jackson in her eighties - who uses a computer and communicates regularly with me - has a better computer and software that can reach many and with some efficiency. If she can do it - so can our City Departments.


Many key department have antiquated computers - the employees feel embarrassed  - and many of them have quietly resorted to bringing their own lap tops and Ipads with better software and do their work - some what efficiently and in a nonchalant manner.


The City knows that it is lacking in best practices.


The City of San Francisco knows it has failed - miserably.


The City makes excuses and in this field of communication, computers and software - there is nothing it can say - but a loud and long - mea culpa.


The City had failed the tax payers spending large amounts of money - over 5 percent on  our City's technology - of the $7.2 billion - and still fails to address the standards in communication, sound documentation and sharing, storing, duplicating, archiving, and a host of issues that are not in place.


Most of the City Department Heads - want to do something - they tell me so often - but to not have the guts to implement - because they do not want to make - waves.


If they make $200,000 plus with benefits - they want their salaries and benefits - and will take the stage coach to work - and work sending "smoke signals" - they have nothing to lose with the City wants them to use and deal with computers that are antiquated.


Anyone - will tell you communication is a must. The latest SF Grand Jury report is something some of us have been talking a lot about. The lack of quality communication on every level at City Hall - on other more pertinent levels - so primitive that I was shocked myself.


Ed Reiskin the Manager of the Metropolitan Transportation Agency, Chief Greg Suhr of the San Francisco Police Department, some others have tried their best - but largely speaking most of the City Departments - might as well send a "Smoke Signal" to communicate.


Those in charge must be fired. We have to have standards and we have none. In the year 2012 this in totally uncalled for.


Not too long ago a Mayor had to go to jail - to convince an employee who worked for the SF City's IT - to please give him the "password" to the system that controlled most of the communication - emails and so forth.


This one incident reveals to all concerned - first; how easily those Heads of Departments that must know some - know little.


How inexperienced our  SF City Human Resources Department is - ripe with corruption and ineptness.


Once our SF City Human Resources hired over 3000 people as Administrative Assistants in the year 1996 and following years - all City Employees - most of them now vested with rich benefits - with a fake Code - and these vermin are here, there, and everywhere - and must be all fired.


This man who technically had access to all of the City's Information - was a jail bird himself - and the Human Resource Department did not catch this - much as it does not catch - the blatant corruption that is going on - right now.


We have 26,000 City Employees but some say 28,000. Our SF City Population is about 805,000. We have one City employees for every 28 constituents.


No one is talking about information lost. All these type of cases are hush hush.


Recently we had to renew our Business License. I had to renew a couple. On one I had to go again and again to get it right to the Treasurer's Department.


The first, second, and third time it was wrong. Then the fourth time I got one that had the name of an Hotel in the Mission. I went this time - with some resolve but kept my calm - and the employee was totally embarrassed. The fifth time - they got it right.


Some how the software was NOT working - but imagine thousands of people getting the same license that is not their own - and all purporting to be the owner operating some shady hotel in the Mission?


Of course the Mayor would not know this - the Treasure should have known about this issue - but I would not put past the employees - NOT to bring such a case - before him.


Our City Technology must be state of the art - complete with reminders on Domain Names and so on.


Once the Domain Name  - linked with  the Mayor's Office of Economic Development  website was not renewed.


The  man in charge was Jesse Blout - I brought it to his attention - and he was ashamed - that this happened. It happens all the time - at our City Hall.


Our City Departments are busy with the mundane - the trivial stuff and no one wants to attain standards, no one wants full transparency, no one wants full accountability. When you speak the TRUTH - they shudder - enough is enough.


Many are just pussyfooting around - it takes the San Francisco Grand Jury to rock the boat and wake up these demons who are busy ruining the lives of others - like our elected Sheriff - Ross Mirkarimi.


Read the SF Grand Jury Report - Deja Vu all over again - and the antiquated SF IT Department:


http://www.sfsuperiorcourt.org/general-info/grand-jury























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