SB 794 expands and improves California’s emergency alerts following deadly wildfires
SACRAMENTO – Following the California State Auditor’s Decemberreport, which found that some California counties, including Ventura County, did not adequately alert their most vulnerable residents during recent wildfires, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s (D-Santa Barbara) .introduced Senate Bill 794 today to improve California’s emergency alert systems and better protect residents who face added challenges during an emergency. This includes those residents who are older, facing disabilities or limited English proficiency or lacking transportation or housing, among other challenges.
“The State Auditor’s report on California’s most deadly wildfires made clear that we must do more to help our most vulnerable residents in the event of a natural disaster. SB 794 will ensure more Californians are signed up for emergency alerts and help local governments identify those with access and functional needs so they can more effectively assist them when the next disaster strikes. Ensuring all residents have the information and assistance they need during an emergency is a matter of life or death,” said Senator Jackson.
SB 794 would allow cities and universities to automatically enroll residents in their emergency alert systems, while allowing them to opt out of receiving the notifications. The bill expands upon Jackson’sSenate Bill 821, which was signed into law in 2018 to allow counties to automatically enroll residents in emergency notifications, while preserving their ability to opt out.
SB 794 also allows local governments to identify residents with access and functional needs for the purpose of sending them specialized emergency alerts. The state auditor recommended improving evacuation warnings for such residents in its December report, California Is Not Adequately Prepared to Protect Its Most Vulnerable Residents From Natural Disasters.
In addition, SB 794 requires the California Public Utilities Commission to collect data from wireless providers about the performance of cell phone-based, local government-operated warning systems during an emergency. This information would help determine whether network performance had any impacts on emergency notifications during a disaster. The need for this type of information was especially clear during the recent public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) when some cell phone towers lost power, leaving residents without the service needed to receive alerts or call 911.
As the State Senator representing the region devastated by the Thomas Fire and subsequent Debris Flow, Senator Jackson has authored a number of bills to protect Californians during natural disasters and reduce wildfire risk throughout the state. In addition to SB 821, her SB 1260, which allows for more prescribed burns to reduce wildfire fuels and her SB 465 to help homeowners pay for fire-resistant improvements to their homes, went into effect last year. She also authored SB 182 last year to strengthen local planning requirements in high fire-risk areas.
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.