Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: California Alert.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the start date or funding specifics for the California Alert system.

California Alert System

This law requires the Governor's Office of Emergency Services to establish California Alert, a statewide emergency alert system that uses Wireless Emergency Alerts to send out timely and accurate warnings during emergencies.

What This Bill Does

• Requires the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services to establish a statewide emergency alert system called California Alert.
• California Alert must utilize Wireless Emergency Alerts authorized by the Integrated Public Alert Warning System, which provides authenticated emergency information through mobile phones within designated cell tower coverage areas.
• The office is required to contract with private vendors that provide alerting systems to send alerts to registered phone numbers across local jurisdictional boundaries.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Governor’s Office of Emergency Services
• California residents who receive emergency alerts on their mobile phones

Terms To Know

Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA)

Messages sent to cellphones during emergencies, like severe weather or natural disasters.

Integrated Public Alert Warning System

The national system that sends out emergency alerts through mobile phones and other devices.

Limits and Unknowns

• Does not specify when the California Alert system will start operating.
• Does not detail how much money will be spent on setting up or running the alert system.
• Does not explain what happens if there are technical issues with sending out alerts.

Official Summary Text

SB 465, as amended, Pérez.
Emergency alerts.
Governor’s Office of Emergency Services: California Alert.
The California Emergency Services Act authorizes the Governor to declare a state of emergency, and local officials and local governments to declare a local emergency, when specified conditions of disaster or extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist. Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor and charges it with responsibility for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for 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 requires the Office of Emergency Services, in consultation with, at minimum, telecommunications carriers, the
California cable and broadband industry, radio and television broadcasters, the California State Association of Counties, the League of California Cities, the access and functional needs community, appropriate federal agencies, and the Standardized Emergency Management System Alert and Warning Specialist Committee, to develop guidelines for alerting and warning the public of an emergency.
This bill would require the office to establish a statewide emergency alert system called California Alert. The bill would require California Alert to utilize Wireless Emergency Alerts authorized by the Integrated Public Alert Warning System, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s national system for local alerting that provides authenticated emergency information to the public through mobile phones within a designate cell tower’s coverage area. The bill would require the office to contract with a private vendor that provides alerting systems to send California Alerts to
registered phone numbers that are not location based. The bill would require the office to establish standards for issuing emergency alerts to California residents across local jurisdictional boundaries.
Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes, within the office of the Governor, the Office of Emergency Services (OES) under the supervision of the Director of Emergency Services. Existing law makes OES responsible for addressing natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies, including activities necessary to prevent, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the effects of emergencies and disasters to people and property.
Existing law, on or before July 1, 2022, requires OES, in consultation with specified groups and entities, to develop guidelines for alerting and warning the public of an emergency, as specified, and to provide each city and county with a copy of the guidelines.
This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to improve emergency alert systems to
ensure that emergency alerts, notifications, and evacuation orders are delivered to their intended recipients in a timely, clear, and effective manner, while also preventing the dissemination of erroneous alerts.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF