In addition to facilitating meetings regarding this year’s
devastating wildfires, CSAC also continues to monitor any
potential policy changes that may arise from the fires. On
Monday, December 4 Senator Hannah Beth Jackson and
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago hosted a joint information hearing
to review California’s emergency alert and response procedures.
The hearing included presentations by CAL Fire Chief Ken Pimlot,
OES Director Mark Ghilarducci and several county supervisors,
elected officials, and staff who spoke about their experiences
with the fires. Director Ghilarducci stressed the importance of
the local mutual aid system and how critical local agencies and
counties are in spreading messages during emergency situations.
The hearing examined many elements of California’s emergency
management systems and included a robust discussion of
experiences from the recent fires. Ideas discussed during the
hearing included giving authority to the Public Utilities
Commission to require redundancy and improved resiliency for key
pieces of telecommunications infrastructure owned and operated by
private industry, creating opt-out emergency notification
systems, the high cost of emergency siren systems, and the
importance of 211 systems.
The new Legislative session begins in January and CSAC will be
watching for legislative proposals related to these fires that
could impact local counties.
