CA AB1071

Office of Emergency Services must conduct biennial tabletop exercises convening key personnel and agencies with emergency management roles to discuss and evaluate preparedness plans under simulated catastrophic disaster scenarios.

Exercises must include government agencies, educational entities, military installations, private businesses, and nonprofit organizations from critical sectors including law enforcement, medical care, utilities, infrastructure, transportation, and hazardous materials management.

Simulated disasters shall be based on four specific catastrophic response plans: Northern California Flood Response Plan, Bay Area Earthquake Plan, Cascadia Subduction Zone Plan, and Southern California Earthquake Response Plan.

Exercises designed to enhance participant capabilities in at least four areas including community engagement, coordinated communications, unified operations, supply chain management, and critical infrastructure stabilization.

OES must report on each tabletop exercise to budget committees, Assembly Committee on Emergency Management, and Senate Committee on Governmental Organization by February 1, 2023, and biennially thereafter, using federal preparedness grant funding to offset state and local costs whenever possible.