AB 2981

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act creates, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services (office) which is responsible for addressing natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies, including responsibility for activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters upon people and property. Existing law authorizes cities, cities and counties, and counties to create disaster councils, by ordinance, to develop plans for meeting any condition constituting a local emergency or state of emergency, including, but not limited to, earthquakes, natural or manmade disasters specific to that jurisdiction, or a state of war emergency. Existing law requires a disaster council to supply a copy of those plans to the office. This bill would require the office to provide, upon request, technical assistance to any county, city and county, or city in conforming the county's, city and county's, or city's emergency plan with statewide emergency planning guidance and federal emergency planning guidance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The bill would require the office to prioritize a plan submitted from a rural county or rural city when providing this technical assistance. This bill would require that a city, county, or city and county that declares a local emergency for which the Governor proclaims a state of emergency to provide to the office an after action report that contains information the city, county, or city and county deems pertinent in informing local and statewide emergency planning efforts. The bill would require the after action report to be provided to the office within 90 days following the city's, county's, or city and county's declaration that the local emergency has ended. The bill would require the office to conspicuously post any after action report it receives on its internet website within 10 days of receipt of the report. By imposing new duties on city, county, and city and county officials, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.