Controller Cohen Issues Statement on Network Access for March 20, 2026

SACRAMENTO - Today, Controller Malia M. Cohen issued the following statement:

"During routine, scheduled maintenance on the evening of March 19th, an automated process affected network connectivity for a limited set of devices used by the California State Controller's Office (SCO) Payroll and Personnel Services Division (PPSD) and the California State Payroll System (CSPS) project.

"This resulted in temporary loss of access to the SCO network-including email, shared drives, and internal systems-for a defined group of users.

"The issue was quickly identified, addressed, and found to be isolated to 315 state-issued devices, primarily laptops and a small number of printers assigned to remote team members.

"At no point did this incident impact the integrity or operation of the statewide payroll system, nor did it disrupt SCO's ability to meet its statutorily required payroll and financial obligations.

"By 11:00 a.m. on March 20th, 100% of critical personnel were restored with network access, and core operations continued on schedule.

"This incident was limited in scope, immediately addressed, and operationally neutral with respect to the State's core payroll functions.

"What occurred was a controlled incident at the network edge-managed exactly as designed."