AB 1620, as amended, Rodriguez. The California Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Commission.
Existing law requires the Governor and the Office of Emergency Services to prepare for and mitigate the effects of emergencies in the state and does not limit the Governor from formally recognizing committees or boards established by or with segments of the private sector, public agencies, or both, that control facilities, resources, or the provision of services essential to the mitigation of the effects of an emergency.
This bill would establish in state government the California Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Commission as a statewide executive-level commission to assess and improve the condition of the state’s emergency preparedness, management, and disaster recovery capabilities. This bill would require the commissionbegin delete to, among other things,end deletebegin insert
toend insert review and make recommendations onbegin insert emergency management and disaster preparedness, including, but not limited to,end insert the availability of adequate equipment, fuel, food, water, and other emergency supplies.begin insert This bill would require the membership of the commission to include certain state officials or their designees, representatives of certain local governmental entities, and the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly, or their designees, as specified. This bill would also authorize the Governor to appoint a representative of the American Red Cross to the commission.end insert This bill would make legislative findings in this regard.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) The state is particularly vulnerable to natural disasters, public
4health pandemics, the effects of climate change, acts of terrorism,
5and other potential dangers.
6(b) The state has important need to assess the status of
7intergovernmental coordinationbegin delete onend deletebegin insert ofend insert emergency planning,
8communication protocols, disaster response, and crisis
9management.
Chapter 15 (commencing with Section 8899.50) is
11added to Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code, to read:
12
(a) There is in state government the California
17Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness Commission
18as a statewide executive-level commission to assess and improve
19the condition of the state’s emergency preparedness, management,
20and disaster recovery capabilities.
21(b) For purposes of this chapter, “commission” shall mean the
22California Emergency Management and Disaster Preparedness
23Commission.
The commission shall ensure all of the following:
25(a) Loss of life and damage to critical infrastructure and property
26is minimized during a disaster.
27(b) Sufficiently trained personnel can be activated for emergency
28response and recovery efforts.
29(c) The health and safety of hospital patients, skilled nursing
30facility residents, the aged, blind, disabled, nonnative English
P3 1speakers, and other vulnerable populations are protected during
2an emergency.
3(d) The public is provided with reliable and timely
information
4during an emergency or disaster.
5(e) Every locality has planned for, and is prepared for, a disaster.
6(f) Emergency responses are effectively coordinated across all
7levels of government.
The commission shall review and make
9recommendations onbegin insert emergency management and disaster
10preparedness, including, but not limited to,end insert all of the following:
11(a) Vulnerabilities in the state’s health care, energy,
12transportation, communication, and other systems infrastructure.
13(b) The availability of adequate equipment, fuel, food, water,
14and other emergency supplies.
15(c) The ability of first responders and other critical personnel
16to communicate effectively with each other and
have access to
17adequate resources.
(a) The commission shall be composed of the
19following members:
20(1) The Governor, or his or her designee.
21(2) The Attorney General, or his or her designee.
22(3) One representative of a city government and one
23representative of a county government, who shall be appointed
24by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Governor, except that these
25members shall be from different counties.
26(4) One representative of a city or county fire service and one
27representative of a city or county law enforcement service, who
28shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure
of, the Governor,
29except that these members shall be from different counties.
30(5) One representative of a local public health agency, who
31shall be appointed by, and serve at the pleasure of, the Governor.
32(6) One representative who is an administrator of a local
33emergency medical services agency that serves a population of
34less than one million persons, who shall be appointed by, and serve
35at the pleasure of, the Governor.
36(7) One representative who is an administrator of a local
37emergency medical services agency that serves a population of
38greater than one million persons, who shall be appointed by, and
39serve at the pleasure of, the Governor.
40(8) The Director of Emergency Services, or his or her designee.
P4 1(9) The Director of the Emergency Medical Services Authority,
2or his or her designee.
3(10) The President of the Public Utilities Commission, or his
4or her designee.
5(11) The Director of the State Department of Public Health, or
6his or her designee.
7(12) The Director of Technology, or his or her designee.
8(b) The commission may include one representative of the
9American Red Cross, who shall be appointed by, and serve at the
10pleasure of, the Governor.
11(c) The President pro Tempore of the Senate, or his or her
12designee who is a Member of the Senate, and the Speaker of the
13Assembly, or his or her designee who is a Member of the
Assembly,
14shall meet with and participate in the activities of the commission
15to the extent that the participation is not incompatible with their
16respective positions as Members of the Legislature.
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