SB 1001: Local agency, public utility, or mutual water company: personnel access: Personal Identity Verification-Interoperable.

Official summary

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

Existing law creates the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor and sets forth its powers and duties, including establishing by rule and regulation various classes of disaster service workers, the scope and duty of each class, and the way disaster service workers of each class are to be registered.

Existing law authorizes officers of the Department of the California Highway Patrol, police departments, marshal’s office or sheriff’s office, and officers or employees of the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or the Department of Fish and Wildlife designated as peace officers to close to all unauthorized persons an area where a menace to the public health or safety created by a calamity exists for the duration of the menace and the immediate area surrounding any emergency field command post or any other command post activated for the purpose of abating a calamity, riot, or other civil disturbance, as specified. Under existing law, an unauthorized person who enters or remains in a closed area, as prescribed, is guilty of a misdemeanor.

This bill would, beginning on July 1, 2028, require the Office of Emergency Services, upon request, to issue a local agency, public utility, or mutual water company responsible for public works and critical infrastructure with specified credentialing to facilitate personnel access to an area during or following a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other man-made disaster. The bill would specify that the credentialing, a Personal Identity Verification-Interoperable (PIV-I), would conform with the federal Personal Identity Verification standards pursuant to federal National Incident Management System guidelines.

This bill would require the application for a PIV-I card to be signed by a duly authorized representative of a local agency, public utility, or mutual water company and include a certification by the local agency, public utility, or mutual water company.

This bill would require the office to impose and collect a fee from a local agency, public utility, or mutual water company for a PIV-I card that does not exceed the reasonable costs of the identification card program.

This bill would specify that the authorization for particular officers to close an area, as described above, shall not prevent an individual who holds a valid PIV-I card or an individual who holds a valid identification card issued by a local agency, public utility, or mutual water company from entering the closed area unless a peace officer finds that the disaster is of such a nature that it would be unsafe for the cardholder to enter or that the presence of the cardholder would interfere with disaster response.

Sponsors

Sponsors by party (alphabetical): Democratic 3 · Republican 1

“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. May 14, 2026May 14 hearing: Held in committee and under submission.
2. May 8, 2026Set for hearing May 14.
3. April 27, 2026April 27 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
4. April 21, 2026From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
5. April 17, 2026Set for hearing April 27.
6. April 14, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To consent calendar. (Ayes 6. Noes 0. Page 3871.) (April 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
7. March 27, 2026Set for hearing April 14.
8. March 24, 2026From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on PUB. S. (Ayes 8. Noes 0. Page 3657.) (March 24). Re-referred to Com. on PUB. S.
9. March 17, 2026From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on E.M.
10. March 4, 2026Set for hearing March 24.
11. February 18, 2026Referred to Coms. on E.M. and PUB. S.
12. February 10, 2026From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 12.