Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, establishes the Office of Emergency Services within the office of the Governor and charges it with responsibility for the state’s emergency and disaster response services for natural, technological, or manmade disasters and emergencies. The act specifies that its provisions do not prevent the Governor or the office from formally recognizing committees or boards established by or with segments of the private sector, public agencies, or both, that control facilities, resources, or the provision of services essential to the mitigation of the effects of an emergency or recovery therefrom.

This bill would require the Office of Emergency Services, on or before January 1, 2027, to establish, within its office, the Countering Unmanned Aircraft Systems Task Force to develop a statewide strategy to protect mass gatherings, critical infrastructure, and other soft targets from attacks by unmanned aircraft systems. The bill would require the office to seek to compose a membership of the task force that includes representatives of public and private entities, as specified, including, among others, the State Threat Assessment Center. The bill would authorize the task force to achieve its specific purpose, primary objective, and goals by developing or updating response plans specific to unmanned aircraft systems that integrate detection systems into existing emergency operation plans or incident command systems, among other things.

This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.