AB 2474: Office of Emergency Services: public alert and early warning software: master contract.

Official summary

Legislative Counsel’s Digest (official, as of the latest version). Written by nonpartisan legislative staff; reproduced verbatim.

Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services (OES) within the office of the Governor, and sets forth its powers and duties, including responsibility 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 requires OES, in coordination with all interested state agencies with designated response roles in the state emergency plan and interested local emergency management agencies, to jointly establish by regulation a standardized emergency management system for use by all emergency response agencies, as specified. The act requires each local agency, in order to be eligible for any funding of response-related costs under disaster assistance programs, to use the standardized emergency management system to coordinate multiple-jurisdiction or multiple-agency operations, except that a local agency is eligible for repair, renovation, or any other nonpersonnel costs resulting from an emergency.

This bill would require OES, on or before July 1, 2027, in consultation with certain entities, to develop an implementation plan for entering into a statewide master contract for a public alert and early warning software that is capable of supporting interoperable public safety alerting across state, regional, and local governmental entities. The bill would require the implementation plan, among other requirements, to include a draft request for proposal under which the public alert and early warning software, among other things, is interoperable across state, regional, and local governmental entities. The bill would require the office, upon completion of the implementation plan, to send the plan to the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management and the Senate Committee on Emergency Management.

The bill would make the implementation of the plan to enter into a statewide master contract for the creation of a public alert and early warning software subject to approval by the Legislature. If the public alert and early warning software is implemented, the bill would require a city or county that issues public safety alerts to utilize the public alert and early warning software. The bill would specify, among other things, that it is the primary responsibility of the public emergency warning system operator in each city or county to send out emergency alerts to their residents. The bill would repeal its provisions on January 1, 2030.

The bill would include findings and declarations relating to its provisions.

The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.

Sponsors

“Support” is shown only as formal sponsorship recorded by the legislature. Roll-call votes are available on the official bill page.

Recent official actions

1. April 13, 2026In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2. April 9, 2026Re-referred to Com. on E.M.
3. April 8, 2026From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on E.M. Read second time and amended.
4. March 9, 2026Referred to Com. on E.M.
5. February 21, 2026From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
6. February 20, 2026Read first time. To print.