Amended in Assembly March 2, 2016

Amended in Assembly February 22, 2016

Amended in Assembly September 3, 2015

Amended in Assembly June 29, 2015

Amended in Assembly June 3, 2015

Amended in Senate April 6, 2015

Senate Bill No. 438

Introduced by Senators Hill and Hertzberg

(Principal coauthor: Assembly Member Gray)

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(Coauthors: Senators Allen, Anderson, Beall, and Cannella)

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(Coauthors: Assembly Members Dodd, Gatto, Hadley, Kim, Mullin, Rodriguez, and Wilk)

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February 25, 2015

An act to amend Section 8587.8 of the Government Code, relating to earthquake safety, and making an appropriation therefor.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

SB 438, as amended, Hill. Earthquake safety: statewide earthquake early warning system: funding.

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(1) Existing law creates, as an independent unit within the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety Commission, and provides that the commission is responsible for certain duties related to earthquake hazard mitigation, including, among others, helping to coordinate the earthquake safety activities of government at all levels.

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This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature to work with the Administration through the fall 2015 recess in order to establish a California Earthquake Safety Board by July 1, 2016.

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(2) Existing

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begin insert Existing end insert law requires the Office of Emergency Services, in collaboration with begin delete the commission and other end delete specified entities, to develop a comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning system in California through a public-private partnership, as specified. Existing law requires the office to identify funding for the system through single or multiple sources of revenue, and requires those sources to exclude the General Fund and to be limited to federal funds, funds from revenue bonds, local funds, and funds from private sources. Under existing law, the requirement that the office develop the system is not operative until funding is identified, and is repealed if funding is not identified by July 1, 2016.

This bill would discontinue the requirement that the funding sources for the system exclude the General Fund and be limited to federal funds, funds from revenue bonds, local funds, and funds from private sources. The bill would delete the provisions providing for the repeal and the contingent operation of the requirement that the office develop the system. The bill would appropriate $23,100,000 from the General Fund to the office for the purpose of implementing the system.

Vote: ²⁄₃. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

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SECTION 1.  

The Legislature finds and declares that mitigation
against earthquake damage must be addressed in the immediate
term and that it intends to work with the Administration through
the fall 2015 recess in order to establish a California Earthquake
Safety Board by July 1, 2016.

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Section 8587.8 of the Government Code is
amended to read:

8587.8.  

(a) The Office of Emergency Services, in collaboration
with the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the California
Geological Survey, the University of California, the United States
Geological Survey, the Alfred E. Alquist Seismic Safety
Commission, and other stakeholders, shall develop a
comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning system in
California through a public-private partnership, which shall include,
but not be limited to, the following features:

(1) Installation of field sensors.

(2) Improvement of field telemetry.

(3) Construction and testing of central processing and
notification centers.

(4) Establishment of warning notification distribution paths to
the public.

(5) Integration of earthquake early warning education with
general earthquake preparedness efforts.

(b) In consultation with stakeholders, the Office of Emergency
Services shall develop an approval mechanism to review
compliance with earthquake early warning standards as they are
developed. The development of the approval mechanism shall
include input from a broad representation of earthquake early
warning stakeholders. The approval mechanism shall accomplish
all of the following:

(1) Ensure the standards are appropriate.

(2) Determine the degree to which the standards apply to
providers and components of the system.

(3) Determine methods to ensure compliance with the standards.

(4) Determine requirements for participation in the system.

(c) The Office of Emergency Services shall identify funding
for the system described in subdivision (a) through single or
multiple sources of revenue.

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The sum of twenty-three million one hundred thousand
dollars ($23,100,000) is hereby appropriated from the General
Fund to the Office of Emergency Services for the purpose of
implementing a comprehensive statewide earthquake early warning
system pursuant to Section 8587.8 of the Government Code.