AB 624: Office of Emergency Services: federal grant funding; Community Relief Act.

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 relating to addressing 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 to people and property.

This bill would require the OES, to the extent permitted by federal law, to provide to local operational areas and urban areas the maximum local share of federal grant funding administered by the office from the Emergency Management Performance Grant Program. The bill would also require the OES, to the extent permitted by federal law, to provide specified legislative committees with copies of agreements entered into with local governments to spend the state share of federal grant funding administered by the office from specified federal grant programs, including the State Homeland Security Grant Program. The bill would authorize the office to retain up to 3% of the above-described federal grant funding for administrative purposes.

Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, requires the Director of Emergency Services to provide financial assistance to local agencies for their personnel costs, equipment costs, and the cost of supplies and materials used during disaster response activities, incurred as a result of a state of emergency proclaimed by the Governor, subject to specified criteria. The act continuously appropriates moneys in the Disaster Assistance Fund and its subsidiary account, the Earthquake Emergency Investigations Account, without regard to fiscal year, for purposes of the act.

This bill would enact the Community Relief Act to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to local agencies, tribal governments, community-based organizations, and individuals for specified costs related to a disaster, as prescribed. The bill would require the director to allocate from the fund, subject to specified conditions, funds to meet the cost of expenses for those purposes. By authorizing increased expenditure of moneys from a continuously appropriated fund for a new purpose, the bill would make an appropriation.

This bill would authorize the director to adopt regulations, as determined to be necessary, to govern the administration of the program.