BILL NUMBER: SB 135	INTRODUCED
	BILL TEXT


INTRODUCED BY   Senator Padilla

                        JANUARY 28, 2013

   An act to add Section 8587.8 to the Government Code, relating to
earthquake safety.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 135, as introduced, Padilla. Earthquake early warning system.
   There is in state government, pursuant to the Governor's
Reorganization Plan No. 2, operative July 1, 2013, the Office of
Emergency Services. Existing law requires the office to develop and
distribute an educational pamphlet for use by kindergarten, any of
grades 1 to 12, inclusive, and community college personnel to
identify and mitigate the risks posed by nonstructural earthquake
hazards.
   This bill would require the office, in collaboration with various
entities, including the United States Geological Survey, to develop a
comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning system in
California.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  The Legislature finds and declares the following:
   (a) According to the United States Geological Survey, California
is one of the most seismically active states, second only to Alaska.
   (b) California has experienced dozens of disastrous earthquakes,
which have caused loss of life, injury, and economic loss. Some of
the most significant earthquakes in California's history include:
   (1) The 1906 San Francisco earthquake, which, at a magnitude of
7.8, resulted in an estimated 3,000 deaths and over $500 million in
property losses.
   (2) The 1971 San Fernando earthquake, which, at a magnitude of
6.7, resulted in at least 65 deaths and caused property damage of
over $500 million.
   (3) The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which, at a magnitude of 6.9,
rocked the bay area and caused 63 fatalities and over $6 billion in
property damage.
   (4) The 1994 Northridge earthquake, which, at a magnitude of 6.7,
claimed the lives of 60 people and caused estimated property damage
of between $13 and $32 billion.
   (c) About 90 percent of the world's earthquakes and over 80
percent of the world's largest earthquakes occur along the
Circum-Pacific Belt, also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire. The
Pacific Ring of Fire includes the very active San Andreas Fault Zone
in California.
   (d) The Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF)
released in 2008 predicted a 99.7 percent likelihood of a magnitude
6.7 or larger earthquake in California in the next 30 years.
   (e) A 2013 study published by the Caltech and the Japan Agency for
Marine-Earth Science and Technology discovered that a statewide
California earthquake involving both the Los Angeles and San
Francisco metropolitan areas may be possible.
   (f) Japan, Taiwan, Mexico, Turkey, Romania, Italy, and China
either have or are working on earthquake early warning systems that
are capable of saving lives and helping to mitigate loss.
   (g) The Office of Emergency Services, Caltech, California
Geological Survey, University of California at Berkeley, United
States Geological Survey, and others have been conducting earthquake
early warning research and development in California. They operate
the California Integrated Seismic Network, which has a demonstration
earthquake early warning capability.
   (h) By building upon the California Integrated Seismic Network and
processing data from an array of sensors throughout the state, a
fully developed earthquake early warning system would effectively
detect some strength and progression of earthquakes and alert the
public within seconds, sometimes up to 60 seconds, before potentially
damaging ground shaking is felt.
   (i) An earthquake early warning system should disseminate
earthquake information in support of public safety, emergency
response, and loss mitigation.
  SEC. 2.  Section 8587.8 is added to the Government Code, to read:
   8587.8.  The Office of Emergency Services, in collaboration with
the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the California
Geological Survey, the University of California Berkeley, the United
States Geological Survey, and others, shall develop a comprehensive
statewide earthquake early warning system in California.