Press Releases

SACRAMENTO—State Controller Betty T. Yee today announced that her office’s Cal Employee Connect (CEC) project has received a Best of California Award from Government Technology magazine. CEC won in the category “Best Application Serving an Agency’s Business Needs.”

CEC is a secure, user-friendly web portal that allows state and California State University employees to view, print, and electronically save their own W-2, leave balances, and direct-deposit earnings statements, historically only available in paper form.

Originally slated for statewide rollout in six waves by August 2021, a cross-divisional team of State Controller’s Office employees worked together to expedite its release as the COVID-19 pandemic forced an unexpected shift to work from home for many. CEC was rolled out in just three waves, with the last going live in June 2020.  

“I am so proud of my team for their dedication to making Cal Employee Connect such a wonderful success,” said Controller Yee, California’s chief fiscal officer. “While they know they have my thanks and appreciation, it is enormously rewarding to see their efforts recognized by the state IT community.”

The annual Best of California Awards recognize California state and local government and education organizations for their contributions to the field of information technology. Due to COVID-19, this year’s awards were presented virtually at today’s California Digital Government Summit.

As the chief fiscal officer of California, Controller Yee is responsible for accountability and disbursement of the state’s financial resources. The Controller has independent auditing authority over government agencies that spend state funds. She is a member of numerous financing authorities, and fiscal and financial oversight entities including the Franchise Tax Board. She also serves on the boards for the nation’s two largest public pension funds. Elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018, Controller Yee is the tenth woman elected to a statewide office in California’s history. Follow the Controller on Twitter at @CAController and on Facebook at California State Controller’s Office.