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Thera Bradshaw: One of Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers

"Our plan is to unwire L.A., all public facilities within the next three years, and the entire city within five years"

This is an excerpt from the 2006 "Government Technology's 25 Doers Dreamers & Drivers" an annual tribute to those individuals who are redefining and advancing technology's role in government and society.

When Los Angeles CIO Thera Bradshaw looks at the Van Nuys municipal complex, she sees the future. The facility -- one of seven satellite city halls scattered throughout Los Angeles -- offers wireless Internet access to visitors and links citizens to downtown city council meetings via live video teleconferencing technology.

Over the next few years, Bradshaw expects these technologies to become a common method for connecting city residents to their government and delivering economic opportunity to the region.

Los Angeles launched Wi-Fi service at the Van Nuys complex -- located in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley -- in 2005. Now other wireless initiatives are sprouting throughout the nation's second-largest municipality, including plans to unwire all city government buildings and 71 public libraries.

Remote city council testimony from the Van Nuys complex began in November 2005, and Bradshaw expects to deploy similar technology at other outlying facilities, giving residents of those areas an easier way to participate in city government.

"There are three reasons behind these initiatives: to help close the digital divide, to accelerate economic development, and to make our city government more accessible and efficient," said Bradshaw, who was appointed general manager of the Los Angeles Information Technology Agency in 2004.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and City Council President Eric Garcetti share Bradshaw's belief that Wi-Fi and other technologies can connect and empower communities, prompting the CIO to predict rapid progress on deploying wireless connectivity citywide.

"Our plan is to unwire L.A., all public facilities within the next three years, and the entire city within five years," Bradshaw said. "The mayor and the city council want to move forward quickly, and I certainly think that's the right thing to do."
Bradshaw has made progress on other issues as well, including a steadily evolving 311 system, which has been adding new functions ever since its launch in 2002. This year, for instance, Los Angeles is adding a service request system to its 311 application that will standardize how the city responds to citizen questions and complaints.

"It will change the way L.A. does business, so that's huge," said Bradshaw. "Citizens will see a service improvement and better accessibility, and we'll get valuable information about how well we're performing."

With strong support from Villaraigosa, who took office in July 2005, and other political leaders, Bradshaw said the city is poised to introduce new services that citizens demand.

"They want to participate in city government. They want government to be accessible," Bradshaw said. "So things like 311, unwiring L.A., and video teleconferencing are all in response to what we've heard from citizens. It's really exciting to be part of this."