Emergency services: local government: local assistance centers: access and functional needs.

Existing law establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor and under the supervision of the Director of Emergency Services and makes the office responsible for the state's emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or human-made disasters and emergencies. Existing law, the California Disaster Assistance Act, authorizes the office to establish a model process to assist a community in recovering from an emergency proclaimed by the Governor which may include, among other things, the role of the office to facilitate the establishment of temporary structures, including local assistance centers, showers and bathroom facilities, and temporary administrative offices. Existing law defines the term "emergency plan" for purposes of emergency services provided by local governments. Existing law requires a county, upon the next update to its emergency plan, to integrate access and functional needs into its emergency plan by addressing, at a minimum, how the access and functional needs population is served by, among other things, emergency sheltering, including ensuring that designated shelters are compliant with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or can be made compliant through modification and that showers and bathrooms are fully accessible to all occupants. This bill would require a county, including a city and county, to ensure that local assistance centers are accessible to people with access and functional needs, provide accessible notifications about local assistance centers, and provide diverse communication services through partnerships with the county homeless and housing services. The bill would require a county, including a city and county, to designate, prearrange, and procure space, as necessary, to aid in sheltering and transporting its homeless population during local and state emergencies and emergency evacuations. Because the bill would require local governments to provide additional services, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would require a county, including a city and county, to, upon the next update to its emergency plan, integrate transportation and sheltering plans that include strategies for ensuring that shelters and local assistance centers are accessible to its homeless population and that service providers trained in outreach and engagement strategies for homeless individuals are available at those locations to ensure that proper measures are employed for the safety of homeless individuals in those settings. The bill would also require a county, including a city and county, to enter into agreements with transportation agencies, as necessary, to transport its homeless population to shelters and local assistance centers in the event of a local or state emergency. Because the bill would require local governments to provide additional services, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.