An act to amend Section 8897 of, to amend and
renumber Section 8898 of, and to add Section
8895.1 to, the Government Code, relating to the
Seismic Safety Commission, making an appropriation
therefor, and declaring the urgency thereof, to
take effect immediately.
[Approved by Governor September 25, 1980. Filed
with Secretary of State September 26, 1980.]
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2202, Vicencia. Seismic Safety Commission.
The Seismic Safety Commission Act, which will
self-repeal, effective January 1, 1986,
establishes the Seismic Safety Commission, and
confers upon it various powers and duties relating
to earthquake hazard reduction. The California
Emergency Services Act confers various related
powers and duties upon the Governor, the Director
and the Department of Emergency Services, and the
California Emergency Council.
This bill would amend the Seismic Safety
Commission Act by: changing the basic subject of
the powers and duties of the commission to
earthquake hazard mitigation and making certain
corresponding changes in its powers and duties;
including within commission responsibilities,
scheduling on its agenda as required, a report on
disaster mitigation issues from the Office of
Emergency Services and defining, for such
purposes, "disaster" as all natural hazards which
could have an impact on public safety; and
authorizing the commission to exercise various
specified powers in relation to other disasters,
as so defined, in connection with issues or items
reported or discussed with the Office of Emergency
Services at any commission meeting.
This bill would also require the commission to
initiate, as specified, a comprehensive program to
prepare the state for responding to a major
earthquake prediction, as specified.
This bill would appropriate $750,000 for the
purposes of this act.
This act would take effect immediately as an
urgency statute.
Appropriation: yes.
_The people of the State of California do enact
as follows:_
SECTION 1. Section 8895.1 is added to the
Government Code, to read:
8895.1. The commission shall initiate, with the
assistance and participation of other state,
federal, and local government agencies, a
comprehensive program to prepare the state for
responding to a major earthquake prediction. The
program should be implemented in order to result
in specific tools or products to be used by
governments in responding to an earthquake
prediction, such as educational materials for
citizens. This program may be implemented on a
prototypical basis in one area of the state
affected by earthquake predictions, provided that
it is useful for application in other areas of the
state upon its completion.
SEC. 2. Section 8897 of the Government Code is
amended to read:
8897. The commission is responsible for all of
the following in connection with earthquake hazard
mitigation:
(a) Setting goals and priorities in the public
and private sectors.
(b) Requesting appropriate state agencies to
devise criteria to promote earthquake and disaster
safety.
(c) Scheduling a report on disaster mitigation
issues from the Office of Emergency Services, on
the commission agenda as required. For the
purposes of this subdivision, the term disaster
refers to all natural hazards which could have
impact on public safety.
(d) Recommending program changes to state
agencies, local agencies, and the private sector
where such changes would improve earthquake
hazards and reduction.
(e) Reviewing the recovery and reconstruction
efforts after damaging earthquakes.
(f) Gathering, analyzing, and disseminating
information.
(g) Encouraging research.
(h) Sponsoring training to help improve the
competence of specialized enforcement and other
technical personnel.
(i) Helping to coordinate the earthquake safety
activities of government at all levels.
(j) Establishing and maintaining necessary
working relationships with any boards,
commissions, departments, and agencies, or other
public or private organizations.
SEC. 3. Section 8898 of the Government Code is
amended and renumbered to read:
8897.1. To implement the foregoing
responsibilities, the commission may do any of the
following:
(a) Review state budgets and review grant
proposals, other than those grant proposals
submitted by institutions of postsecondary
education to the federal government, for
earthquake related activities and to advise the
Governor and Legislature thereon.
(b) Review legislative proposals, related to
earthquake safety to advise the Governor and
Legislature concerning such proposals, and to
propose needed legislation.
(c) Recommend the addition, deletion, or
changing of state agency standards when, in the
commission's view, the existing situation creates
undue hazards or when new developments would
promote earthquake hazard mitigation, and conduct
public hearings as deemed necessary on the
subjects.
(d) In the conduct of any hearing,
investigation, inquiry, or study which is ordered
or undertaken in any part of the state, to
administer oaths and issue subpoenas for the
attendance of witnesses and the production of
papers, records, reports, books, maps, accounts,
documents, and testimony.
(e) In addition, the commission may perform any
of the functions contained in subdivisions (a) to
(d), inclusive, in relation to other disasters, as
defined in subdivision (c) of Section 8897, in
connection with issues or items reported or
discussed with the Office of Emergency Services at
any commission meeting.
SEC. 4. The sum of seven hundred fifty thousand
dollars ($750,000) is hereby appropriated from the
General Fund to the Seismic Safety Commission for
carrying out the provisions of Section 8895.1 of
the Government Code as added by this act,
contingent upon receipt of matching federal funds.
SEC. 5. This act is an urgency statute necessary
for the immediate preservation of the public
peace, health, or safety within the meaning of
Article IV of the Constitution and shall go into
immediate effect. The facts constituting such
necessity are:
In order to protect the public safety against
earthquakes, including the imminent possibility of
major earthquake predictions being made within the
next 12 months, it is necessary that this act take
effect immediately.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
=National Security Council Ad Hoc Committee on Assessment of
Consequences and Preparation for a Major California Earthquake=
_Dr. Frank Press_, Chairperson, President's Science Advisor
_Clifton Alexander, Jr._, Secretary of the Army
_Roderick Renick_, Department of Defense
_Cecil Andres_, Secretary of the Department of Interior
_H.W. Menard_, Department of Interior (USGS)
_W. Bowman Cutter_, Executive Associate Director for Budget, Office of
Management and Budget
_Lynn Daft_, Associate Director for Domestic Policy Staff, White House
_Peter Hamilton_, Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Department
of Defense
_Ted Hodkowski_, Intergovernmental Assistant to the President, White
House
_John W. Macy, Jr._, Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Richard Green_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Frank Camm_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_William Odom_, Military Assistant, National Security Council, White
House
_Robert P. Pirie, Jr._, Assistant Secretary for Manpower, Reserve
Affairs and Logistics, Department of Defense
=Working Group Members=
_Philip Smith_, Chairperson, Office of Science and Technology Policy
_Clarence G. Collins_, Department of Transportation
_Richard DiConti_, National Communications System
_Joseph Mullinix_, Office of Management and Budget
_Chris Shoemaker_, National Security Council
_Charles C. Thiel_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Stephen Travis_, Domestic Policy Staff
_Robert L. Wesson_, Office of Science and Technology Policy
=Selected Contributors=
_Richard E. Adams_, State of California, OES Region V
_James Alexander_, State of California, OES Region I
_William Anderson_, National Science Foundation
_Ralph Archuleta_, United States Geological Survey
_Roger D. Borcherdt_, United States Geological Survey
_Robert D. Brown, Jr._, United States Geological Survey
_James Brown_, George Washington University
_Richard J. Buzka_, United States Geological Survey
_Maria D. Castain_, United States Geological Survey
_Lloyd Cluff_, Woodward-Clyde Consultants
_John Crawford_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Alex Cunningham_, State of California, OES
_Donna Darling_, State of California, OES Region II
_Gardner Davis_, State of California, OES Region VI
_Henry Degenkolb_, H.J. Degenkolb & Associates
_Joseph Domingues_, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region IX
_Russell Dynes_, American Sociological Association
_Raymond R. Eis_, United States Geological Survey
_Susan Elkins_, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region IX
_Jack F. Evernden_, United States Geological Survey
_Charles Fritz_, National Academy of Sciences
_Thomas E. Fumal_, United States Geological Survey
_James T. Haigwood_, State of California, OES Region I
_Jane Victoria Hindmarsh_, State of California, OES
_Connie E. Hooper_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_William B. Joyner_, United States Geological Survey
_Harry King_, State of California, OES Region II
_Henry Lagorio_, University of California
_Richard P. Liechti_, United States Geological Survey
_Terry Meade_, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region IX
_Ugo Morelli_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_William Myers_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Robert A. Page_, United States Geological Survey
_Daniel J. Ponti_, United States Geological Survey
_H. Roger Pulley_, State of California, OES
_F. Joseph Russo_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Louis Schwalb_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Wanda H. Seiders_, United States Geological Survey
_Paul A. Spudich_, United States Geological Survey
_Frank Steindl_, Oklahoma State University
_Karl Steinbrugge_, Private Consultant
_Christopher Stephens_, United States Geological Survey
_Robert Stevens_, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Region IX
_John Sucich_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Hurst Sutton_, Private Consultant
_Richard Traub_, State of California, OES Region I
_Monica L. Turner_, United States Geological Survey
_Robert E. Wallace_, United States Geological Survey
_Kay M. Walz_, United States Geological Survey
_William W. Ward_, State of California, OES Region II
_Robert R. Wilson_, Federal Emergency Management Agency
_Robert P. Yerkes_, United States Geological Survey
_Mark D. Zoback_, United States Geological Survey
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