Quick Hit News
OpenGov has named Thiago Sá Freire as its new CEO. He was previously president and COO and will now lead the companyʼs next stage of growth. Cofounder Zac Bookman will move into the role of co-founder and chairman emeritus. Backed by Cox Enterprises, OpenGov is expanding its tools for local governments, covering budgeting, permitting, licensing, ERP, and more, with recent growth boosted by acquisitions like Ignatius.
Maryland has struck a deal to secure access to fiber-optic infrastructure to expand high-speed Internet across rural and underserved regions. The investment builds on earlier federal funding and focuses on improving connectivity in areas that lack reliable broadband, rather than building entirely new networks. By prioritizing access to existing fiber capacity, the state is trying to accelerate deployment timelines and reduce costs while addressing long-standing coverage gaps.
New York City has selected 10 companies for its Environmental Tech Lab, a program run by the Department of Environmental Protection in partnership with the Partnership Fund for New York City. These companies will test new tools to tackle environmental challenges in streets, water plants, and construction sites. Out of 22 finalists, a panel of 17 experts picked the winners, many of whom use AI, real-time data, and autonomous systems.
Alpha School is opening a new K-8 campus in downtown Chicagoʼs Loop with a very different model. Instead of traditional teachers, students work with guides. Core subjects are taught through AI-powered software in about two hours each morning, while the rest of the day is spent on workshops like robotics and hands-on projects. The private school costs $55,000 a year and has sparked both excitement about personalized learning and concern over limited evidence and the loss of teacher-student relationships.
Community Spotlight
In 2026, Larry Klein continues to serve as mayor of Sunnyvale, leading one of Silicon Valley’s largest cities through a period defined by infrastructure strain and rapid technological expansion. A defining feature of Klein’s leadership is his involvement in regional energy and infrastructure policy. In 2026, he was appointed Chair of the Silicon Valley Clean Energy board, positioning him at the center of efforts to transition the region toward cleaner and more reliable electricity systems. His role reflects a broader shift in mayoral responsibility, from city-level execution to multi-jurisdictional coordination on issues such as grid decarbonization and energy affordability.
This regional lens is necessary as cities confront the downstream effects of the AI and data center boom. Klein has been vocal about the operational strain these facilities place on local utilities, noting ongoing tensions with power providers as demand outpaces infrastructure. His stance illustrates a pattern among U.S. mayors of balancing economic development tied to tech growth with the physical and environmental limits of city systems.
A parallel priority has been Sunnyvale’s continued investment in sustainable civic infrastructure. Recent city initiatives have focused on reducing emissions across municipal operations while upgrading core facilities to handle long-term demand. This includes integrating energy-efficient systems into public buildings and aligning capital planning with broader climate targets, ensuring that infrastructure upgrades are not treated as standalone projects but as part of a coordinated sustainability roadmap.
At the same time, Klein’s leadership emphasizes maintaining service reliability amid rapid growth. As demand increases across utilities, transportation, and public services, the city has focused on strengthening baseline capacity rather than expanding services prematurely. This approach prioritizes system stability, ensuring that existing infrastructure can support both current residents and future development without creating bottlenecks or service degradation.
At the policy level, Klein’s priorities continue to center on housing, sustainability, and transportation. His public positions emphasize aligning economic expansion with livability, particularly as Sunnyvale navigates population growth and long-term urban planning constraints.
Through his roles on regional boards and inter-agency initiatives, Sunnyvale is plugged into shared infrastructure systems, particularly in energy procurement and climate planning, where execution depends on alignment across multiple jurisdictions. This reduces duplication of effort and allows smaller cities to participate in large-scale transitions that would be difficult to execute independently.
At the city level, this translates into a focus on implementation discipline. Rather than launching entirely new flagship programs, the emphasis is on ensuring that existing plans, housing targets, transit improvements, and sustainability commitments are actually delivered against measurable timelines.
Build the right capabilities for what’s coming — book a quick call with the Fractional Source team. They help local government leaders cut through the noise on AI & emerging technologies.
Resources & Events
📅 Preventing Outbound Email Data Loss Across the Public Sector (Virtual - May 20, 2026)
This webinar brings together public-sector cybersecurity and data protection leaders to discuss how agencies can prevent sensitive information from leaking via email. It covers practical steps to prevent misdirected messages, insider risks during staff changes, and accidental disclosures. The discussion highlights how AI and machine learning can make email data loss prevention smarter without slowing teamwork. Details →
📅 California Industry Forum 2026 (Sacramento, CA - July 30, 2026)
This forum brings together sales, marketing, and government tech leaders to discuss California's biggest IT opportunities, spending plans, and new trends. Attendees will gain insights into the state's technology priorities, the newly released 2027 budget, and how technology is changing public services. The event also focuses on networking and market intelligence for companies to share ideas and forge partnerships. Details →
📊 Report Spotlight: Veteran Homelessness Programs (U.S. GAO)
The HUD-VASH (Department of Housing and Urban Development Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing) program is struggling because there aren't enough case managers. In 2024, more than a quarter of VA medical centers with at least two case managers had big staffing gaps, and turnover stayed high at 20 to 26 percent over the past few years. From 2020 to 2024, over 174,000 eligible veterans werenʼt referred to HUD VASH, and in most cases VA didnʼt record why. This makes it hard to know the true demand or plan staffing. GAO recommends that VA consistently track reasons for non-referrals and that HUD set clear goals and evaluation plans for the Tribal HUD-VASH pilot. Read →
Insight of the Week
Government IT is moving beyond just fixing computer issues. CIOs are now using the same service management tools across HR, finance, legal, and facilities to cut delays and replace messy email-and-spreadsheet processes. With shared service catalogs, self-service portals, automation, and dashboards, departments get real-time visibility and smoother workflows. At the South Carolina Department of Commerce, the benefits were so clear that service management quickly spread across the whole organization. Low-code and no-code tools have made it easy for each department to set up and manage its own processes without depending on IT for every change.
For the Commute
The cyber experts helping local officials prepare for 2026, 2028 elections (Priorities Podcast)
Geoff Hale, visiting fellow for election security at the Center for Democracy and Technology, argues that election cybersecurity has improved dramatically over the last decade, but local officials still face gaps, especially as federal support has been scaled back in the current administration. He emphasizes that jurisdictions need trusted partners lined up in advance across state, local, and external experts. The Center for Democracy and Technology is launching a new initiative to help state and local election teams close remaining readiness gaps ahead of the 2026 and 2028 cycles.
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