AB 1916

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, authorizes the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency when specified conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist, and to exercise certain powers in response to that emergency. The act also authorizes the governing body of a city, county, city and county, or an official designated by ordinance adopted by that governing body, to proclaim a local emergency, and to exercise certain powers in response to that emergency. Existing law defines the terms "state of emergency" and "local emergency" to mean the duly proclaimed existence of conditions of disaster or of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property within the state caused by, among other things, fire, storm, riot, epidemic, or cyberterrorism. This bill would require all proclamations, communications, materials, and announcements made by the Governor or a state agency related to a duly proclaimed state of emergency to be made available in all languages spoken by a substantial number of non-English-speaking people. The bill would define the term "substantial number of non-English-speaking people" to mean a group of people that do not speak English or have limited English proficiency and make up 3 percent or more of the state's population. This bill would also require each county to translate all emergency-related proclamations, communications, materials, and announcements made by the county related to a duly proclaimed state of emergency or a local emergency duly proclaimed by the county into all languages spoken by 1,000 or more of the county's residents.