BILL ANALYSIS �
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 1620|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 1620
Author: Rodriguez (D)
Amended: 4/22/14 in Assembly
Vote: 21
SENATE GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE : 7-3, 6/24/14
AYES: Correa, De Le�n, Galgiani, Hernandez, Lieu, Padilla,
Torres
NOES: Berryhill, Cannella, Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : 5-0, 8/14/14
AYES: De Le�n, Hill, Lara, Padilla, Steinberg
NO VOTE RECORDED: Walters, Gaines
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 55-23, 5/28/14 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT : California Emergency Management and Disaster
Preparedness
Commission
SOURCE : Author
DIGEST : This bill establishes the California Emergency
Management and Disaster Preparedness Commission (Commission),
consisting of at least 14-members, to assess and improve the
condition of the state's emergency preparedness, management, and
disaster recovery capabilities.
ANALYSIS :
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Existing law:
1.Requires the Governor and the Office of Emergency Services
(OES) to prepare for, and mitigate the effects of, emergencies
in the state.
2.Requires OES to perform a variety of duties with respect to
specified emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response
activities in the state, including emergency medical services.
3.Specifies that the State Emergency Plan (SEP) shall be in
effect in each political subdivision of the state, and the
governing body of each political subdivision shall take
necessary actions to carry out the provisions of the SEP.
4.Requires the Governor to coordinate the SEP and those programs
necessary to mitigate the effects of an emergency.
5.Requires the Governor to coordinate the preparation of plans
and programs for the mitigation of the effects of an emergency
by the political subdivisions of the state, such plans and
programs to be integrated into and coordinated with the SEP
and the plans and programs of the federal government and of
other states to the fullest possible extent.
This bill:
1.Makes legislative findings and declarations relative to the
state's vulnerability to natural disasters, public health
pandemics, effects of climate change, acts of terrorism, and
other potential dangers and that the state has an obligation
to its people to assess the status of intergovernmental
coordination of emergency planning and response as well as
communication protocols and crisis management.
2.Creates the Commission in state government as a statewide
executive-level body to assess and improve the condition of
the state's emergency preparedness, management, and disaster
recovery capabilities and requires the Commission to ensure
all of the following:
A. Loss of life and damage to infrastructure and property
is minimized during a disaster.
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B. Sufficiently trained personnel can be activated for
emergency response and recovery.
C. Hospital patients, skilled nursing facility residents,
the aged, the blind, disabled, non-English speakers, and
other vulnerable populations are protected during an
emergency.
D. Reliable and timely information is disseminated during
an emergency or disaster.
E. Every locality has planned and is prepared for a
disaster, and emergency responses are coordinated across
all governmental levels.
1.Requires the Commission to review and make recommendations on
emergency management and disaster preparedness, including, but
not limited to, all of the following:
A. Vulnerabilities in the state's health care, energy,
transportation, communication, and other infrastructure.
B. The availability of equipment, fuel, food water, and
other emergency supplies.
C. The ability of first responders and other personnel to
communicate effectively with each other.
1.Stipulates that the Commission will be composed of the
following members:
A. The Governor.
B. The Attorney General.
C. One representative of a city government and one
representative of a county government, appointed by the
Governor.
D. One representative of a city/county fire service and one
representative of a city/county law enforcement service,
appointed by the Governor.
E. One representative of a local public health agency,
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appointed by the Governor.
F. One representative who is an administrator of a local
emergency medical services agency that serves a population
of less than one million persons and a second
representative that serves a population of greater than one
million persons, both of whom will be appointed by the
Governor.
G. The Director of OES.
H. The Director of the Emergency Medical Services
Authority.
I. The President of the Public Utilities Commission.
J. The Director of the Department of Public Health.
AA. The Director of the Department of Technology.
1.Requires the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the
Speaker of the Assembly, or their designees, to meet and
participate in the Commission's activities to the extent their
participation is not incompatible with their respective
positions in the Legislature.
2.Authorizes the Commission to include one representative of the
American Red Cross, appointed by the Governor.
Background
In 2012, the Governor's Reorganization Plan No. 2 (GRP 2)
transformed the California Emergency Management Agency from an
agency-level organization into part of OES - the Secretary of
the Agency became the Director of OES. GRP 2 also eliminated
the California Emergency Council for cost saving purposes.
Generally speaking, the make-up of the former Emergency Council
and its stated purpose/duties are similar to those found in this
bill.
SEP . The SEP addresses the state's response to extraordinary
emergency situations associated with natural disasters or
human-caused emergencies. In accordance with the California
Emergency Services Act, the SEP describes the methods for
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carrying out emergency operations, the process for rendering
mutual aid, the emergency services of governmental agencies, how
resources are mobilized, how the public will be informed and the
process to ensure continuity of government during an emergency
or disaster.
The SEP is a management document intended to be read and
understood before an emergency occurs. It is designed to
outline the activities of all California jurisdictions within a
statewide emergency management system and it embraces the
capabilities and resources in the broader emergency management
community that includes individuals, businesses,
non-governmental organizations, tribal governments, other
states, federal government and international assistance.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, ongoing costs
of about $260,000 per year to provide staff support to the
Commission and pay for costs associated with public meetings by
OES (General Fund).
SUPPORT : (Verified 8/15/14)
AFSCME
California Police Chiefs Association
California Primary Care Association
OPPOSITION : (Verified 8/15/14)
Department of Finance
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : It is the author's belief that
elimination of the California Emergency Council has resulted in
decreased legislative and public oversight and accountability.
The author's office contends that the Legislature and the people
of California have very little information about state
preparedness, emergency plans, and response activities. This
bill is intended to create a mechanism for assessing the status
of intergovernmental coordination on emergency planning,
communication protocols, disaster response, and crisis
management across the state and reassuring the public and
government officials that the Administration and legislative
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leaders are on top of things when it comes to planning for and
responding to emergencies.
ARGUMENTS IN OPPOSITION : The Department of Finance is opposed
to this bill because "it establishes a commission that is
substantially similar to the former California Emergency
Council, which was eliminated in the Governor's Reorganization
Plan number two as a governmental efficiency measure."
ASSEMBLY FLOOR : 55-23, 5/28/14
AYES: Alejo, Ammiano, Bloom, Bocanegra, Bonilla, Bonta,
Bradford, Brown, Buchanan, Ian Calderon, Campos, Chau,
Chesbro, Cooley, Dababneh, Daly, Dickinson, Eggman, Fong, Fox,
Garcia, Gatto, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Hall, Roger
Hern�ndez, Holden, Jones-Sawyer, Levine, Lowenthal,
Maienschein, Medina, Mullin, Muratsuchi, Nazarian, Pan, Perea,
John A. P�rez, V. Manuel P�rez, Quirk, Quirk-Silva, Rendon,
Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez, Salas, Skinner, Stone, Ting, Weber,
Wieckowski, Williams, Yamada, Atkins
NOES: Achadjian, Allen, Bigelow, Ch�vez, Conway, Dahle,
Donnelly, Beth Gaines, Gorell, Grove, Hagman, Harkey, Jones,
Linder, Logue, Mansoor, Melendez, Nestande, Olsen, Patterson,
Wagner, Waldron, Wilk
NO VOTE RECORDED: Frazier, Vacancy
MW:nl 8/15/14 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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