Assemblymember Rodriguez Moves Legislation Ensuring Community Resilience Centers are Prepared for Disasters

Assemblymember Rodriguez Moves Legislation Ensuring Community Resilience Centers are Prepared for Disasters

(Sacramento, CA) – Today, the California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill (AB) 2645, authored by Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez (D – Pomona). This critical legislation is now heading to the governor’s office for his final approval. AB 2645 would require every county to ensure community resilience centers can serve as community-wide assets during disasters and integrate these centers into their local emergency plans.

“California is a disaster-prone state, and our preparation for these inevitable emergencies is key to our ability to mitigate effectively. Community resilience centers have played a key role in mitigating disasters, highlighting the need for communities statewide to incorporate them into their emergency planning,” stated Assemblymember Rodriguez. 

In the last year, California has made significant investments in community resilience centers to bolster community-based emergency response and long-term resilience, preparedness, and recovery operations. This legislation would maximize these investments by requiring a county, upon its next update to its emergency plan, to ensure these centers are prepared to serve as community-wide assets in the face of a disaster. 

To ensure these plans maximize investments to their fullest extent, the plans must also account for community and fairground resilience programs intended to construct and retrofit facilities that will serve as community resilience centers. These include the existing Integrated Climate and Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Grant Program, run by the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), and the Fairground and Community Resilience Center Grant Program, ran by the Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA).  

“As Chair of the Committee on Emergency Management, I am dedicated to ensuring the safety of all Californians who are likely to face various disasters. Community resilience centers have proven to save lives during various disasters, and I am certain this bill will aid in the continued success of these centers in future emergency events,” added Assemblymember Rodriguez.

Assemblymember Rodriguez (Twitter) represents the 53rd Assembly District which includes the cities of Chino, Montclair, Ontario, Pomona, and Upland. He is Chair of the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management.