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Salinas IT division outlines cybersecurity, AI policy and infrastructure plans
Summary
Information Systems Manager Carlos Ortega reported an FY24-25 operating budget of $4.83 million, 14 IT staff, and investments in governance, cybersecurity and AI policy; staff described plans for disaster recovery, governance and a phased office move to 65 West Salazar.
Carlos Ortega, information systems manager for the City of Salinas, gave the Finance Committee an overview of the IT division—s FY24-25 work, including governance changes, cybersecurity initiatives and initial uses of artificial intelligence.
Ortega said the division—s operating budget for FY24-25 was $4,830,000; the team supports 23 facilities and more than 700 staff citywide and consists of 14 employees. "Our vision encompasses meeting technological risk, service demands and operational needs through sound planning, cyber hygiene, governance and technical competency," Ortega said. He told the committee the division completed 12 projects in FY24-25 and has identified 28 projects in the current IT portfolio, with 24 incorporated into the annual plan.
The presentation emphasized governance and cyber hygiene. Ortega said the city has adopted the Center for Internet Security Controls framework, has invested in staff security training and has prioritized patch management and hardware life-cycle replacement. He also described work on disaster-recovery and incident-response planning and the IT governance and steering committee the city formed in 2024 to review the portfolio quarterly.
Ortega addressed artificial intelligence and camera-based tools. He said the city has implemented an AI and technology-use policy and is exploring limited, public-sector-appropriate AI uses to increase efficiency. On license-plate-reader cameras, Ortega said they assist public-safety investigations and real-time tracking for investigative purposes but are not used for routine stationary code enforcement such as parking-ticket enforcement; he said the city applies checks and balances to limit misuse.
Ortega reported help-desk activity and customer satisfaction: the IT help desk logged about 3,775 support calls or tickets and about 2,980 support calls to the help desk in the fiscal year and recorded a 92% satisfaction rate. Committee members asked about service gaps, response times and the cost of innovation; Ortega said larger infrastructure issues can require longer investigations and that the city is balancing investment in new tools with governance, security and training.
Ortega also said the IT team will relocate from the basement in two phases: roughly half the team to 65 West Salazar by the end of the year, with the remainder moving in the first quarter of 2026. The committee received the report and did not take additional formal action.
