The Joint Legislative Audit Committee and the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management convened on March 5, 2025, to discuss critical findings from a recent audit of the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The meeting highlighted significant gaps in emergency communication, particularly regarding language accessibility for non-English speakers during disasters.

The audit revealed that Cal OES has made progress on three key recommendations aimed at improving emergency management. Firstly, the agency is advised to establish disaster registries and provide guidance for evacuating individuals with access and functional needs. Secondly, it was noted that Cal OES must enhance the usability of its non-English emergency alerts. Lastly, the agency is tasked with restructuring its access and functional needs library to make emergency planning resources more accessible.

So far, Cal OES has fully implemented two of these recommendations and partially completed the third. The agency has successfully developed alert messages in 18 of California's most commonly spoken languages and updated its functional needs library. However, the final recommendation remains in draft form as the state emergency plan is still being finalized.

During the meeting, concerns were raised about the effectiveness of emergency notifications in three counties, where alerts were not issued in any language other than English. This issue was particularly alarming given recent fire emergencies. Representatives from Ventura, Sonoma, and Butte counties provided varied responses. Ventura County acknowledged a delay of ten days before issuing messages in other languages, 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 communicate effectively. Butte County reported feeling pressured to respond quickly under extreme circumstances.

The discussion underscored the need for counties to adopt best practices, such as having pre-translated emergency messages readily available, to ensure timely and effective communication during crises. Following the audit, all three counties have begun to improve their language accessibility in emergency notifications.

The meeting concluded with a commitment to continue addressing these critical issues to enhance the state's emergency management capabilities and ensure all communities receive timely and understandable information during disasters.