Crypto Titans Collide: Coinbase & Ripple Execs Team Up With California to Revolutionize State Ops

Blockchain meets bureaucracy—California just drafted crypto's heaviest hitters to drag government systems into the 21st century.

Coinbase and Ripple leadership are now embedded in Sacramento, working to dismantle legacy financial infrastructure. No more 'innovation theater'—this is real deployment muscle meeting bureaucratic inertia.

The play? Overhaul payment systems, streamline business registries, and maybe—just maybe—prove blockchain can do more than generate memecoins and tax headaches.

California's move signals what every government knows but won't admit: their tech stack is held together by duct tape and 90s-era Java. Now they're betting on the very industry they've been slow-walking regulations for. Irony tastes like taxpayer-funded coffee.

Executive order sets implementation deadlines

The governor paired the task force with Executive Order N-30-25, which instructs the Government Operations Agency to collaborate with the departments of Human Resources, General Services, and Technology on three fronts: shortening civil service hiring cycles, simplifying information technology procurement, and creating shared contracting vehicles. 

The order directs every cabinet agency to submit at least one no- or low-cost efficiency proposal within 90 days. 

The Office of Data Innovation will expand “Engaged California,” a deliberative democracy platform that crowdsources ideas from state workers. 

The office must also launch an Innovation Fellows Program that assigns selected supervisors to fix specific operational challenges by  Aug. 15. Departments are mandated to allocate dedicated time for each fellow to complete the assignment. 

Coinbase channels funds to Fairshake super PAC

Separately, Coinbase is backing federal political efforts through Fairshake, a crypto‑focused super PAC that reported $141 million in cash on hand as of June 30, journalist Eleanor Terrett. 

The figure includes $52 million raised in the first half of 2025, of which Coinbase contributed $25 million. 

Fairshake has collected $109 million since Election Day 2024, and a spokesperson said the group “remains focused on building lasting support for crypto and blockchain innovation.”