CARPINTERIA– Continuing the work begun this year to improve the state’s emergency alert systems in the wake of devastating wildfires, State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management, Assemblymember Monique Limón (D-Santa Barbara), and Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), Co-Chairs of the Assembly Select Committee on Natural Disaster Response, Recovery and Rebuilding, will convene a joint informational hearing on Tuesday, November 27 to examine California’s emergency alert systems. The hearingll cover lessons learned from the recent fires, legislation going into effect in 2019, and further policy improvements to emergency alert systems.
“As California faces increasingly catastrophic wildfires, we need to take every step possible to ensure residents are notified clearly, quickly, and effectively during an emergency event. This year, we passed a series of bills to improve our emergency alert systems but there is still more to be done. The purpose of this hearing is to examine what we accomplished this year and further improvements that need to be made,” said Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, Chair of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management. “I look forward to a robust and thoughtful discussion as we prepare for the challenges ahead.”
WHAT: Informational Hearing of the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and Assembly Select Committee on Natural Disaster Response, Recovery and Rebuilding: On the Alert: Strengthening California’s Public Warning Systems
WHEN: Tuesday, November 27 at 9:30 a.m.
WHERE: Carpinteria City Hall, 5775 Carpinteria Avenue, Carpinteria, CA 93013
WHO:
- Welcome and Opening Remarks by Chairs and Committee Members
- Statement on Recent Fires
- Thom Porter, Chief, Strategic Planning, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
- Overview of Recent Changes to State Law Governing Emergency Notification
- Caroline Thomas-Jacobs, Chief, Response Systems Integration Branch, Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (pending confirmation)
- Implementing Change on the Ground
- Brian Uhl, Emergency Manager, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
- Jeff Norris, District Coordinator, San Mateo County Office of Emergency Services
- Brian Toolan, Technical Account Manager, Everbridge, Inc.
- Next Steps — Improving Emergency Alerting in California
- Rob Lewin, Director, Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management
- Kevin McGowan, Manager, Ventura County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services
- Bryan Koon, Vice President of International Homeland Security and Emergency Management, IEM, Inc.
- Dr. Chad Hanson, Research Ecologist, John Muir Project
Jackson represents the 19th Senate District, which includes all of Santa Barbara County and western Ventura County.