The California State Assembly held a joint hearing on March 5, 2025, focusing on emergency management and the effectiveness of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) following recent audits. The meeting highlighted critical issues regarding emergency notifications, particularly the need for multilingual alerts and improved accessibility for individuals with access and functional needs.

Auditor Parks reported that Cal OES has made progress in implementing recommendations from a recent audit. Specifically, the office has fully implemented two recommendations and partially implemented a third. Notably, Cal OES has completed alert messages in 18 of the most commonly spoken languages in California and updated its functional needs library. However, the third recommendation remains partially implemented due to the state emergency plan still being in draft form.

Concerns were raised about the effectiveness of emergency notifications during recent fires, particularly regarding language barriers. It was revealed that in three counties, emergency notifications were initially sent only in English, delaying communication to non-English speaking residents. For instance, Ventura County took ten days to issue messages in other languages during the Thomas Fire, citing a lack of prior experience in doing so. Sonoma County faced challenges as the individual responsible for sending messages was out of town, limiting their ability to provide timely multilingual alerts.

The discussion underscored the importance of having pre-translated emergency messages readily available, which could be utilized even when personnel are unavailable. Despite the shortcomings observed during the audit, improvements have been noted, with all three counties beginning to send messages in multiple languages following the incidents.

Assembly members expressed concern over the real-world effectiveness of legislative measures aimed at protecting vulnerable populations during emergencies. They highlighted that many deaths in recent fires disproportionately affected individuals from the access and functional needs community, raising questions about the adequacy of current emergency management practices.

The hearing concluded with a call for further assessment of the effectiveness of legislative actions and a commitment to ensuring that all communities receive timely and accessible emergency notifications in the future.