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	<ns0:Description>
		<ns0:Id>20250AB__047890CHP</ns0:Id>
		<ns0:VersionNum>90</ns0:VersionNum>
		<ns0:History>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>INTRODUCED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-02-10</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-03-24</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-04-21</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-05-27</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-06-30</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-07-16</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-08-29</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>AMENDED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-09-05</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>PASSED_ASSEMBLY</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-09-12</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>PASSED_SENATE</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-09-11</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>ENROLLED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-09-16</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>CHAPTERED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-10-13</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>APPROVED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-10-13</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
			<ns0:Action>
				<ns0:ActionText>FILED</ns0:ActionText>
				<ns0:ActionDate>2025-10-13</ns0:ActionDate>
			</ns0:Action>
		</ns0:History>
		<ns0:LegislativeInfo>
			<ns0:SessionYear>2025</ns0:SessionYear>
			<ns0:SessionNum>0</ns0:SessionNum>
			<ns0:MeasureType>AB</ns0:MeasureType>
			<ns0:MeasureNum>478</ns0:MeasureNum>
			<ns0:MeasureState>CHP</ns0:MeasureState>
			<ns0:ChapterYear>2025</ns0:ChapterYear>
			<ns0:ChapterType>CHP</ns0:ChapterType>
			<ns0:ChapterSessionNum>0</ns0:ChapterSessionNum>
			<ns0:ChapterNum>695</ns0:ChapterNum>
		</ns0:LegislativeInfo>
		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="LEAD_AUTHOR">Introduced by Assembly Member Zbur</ns0:AuthorText>
		<ns0:AuthorText authorType="COAUTHOR_OPPOSITE">(Coauthor: Senator Allen)</ns0:AuthorText>
		<ns0:Authors>
			<ns0:Legislator>
				<ns0:Contribution>LEAD_AUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
				<ns0:House>ASSEMBLY</ns0:House>
				<ns0:Name>Zbur</ns0:Name>
			</ns0:Legislator>
			<ns0:Legislator>
				<ns0:Contribution>COAUTHOR</ns0:Contribution>
				<ns0:House>SENATE</ns0:House>
				<ns0:Name>Allen</ns0:Name>
			</ns0:Legislator>
		</ns0:Authors>
		<ns0:Title>An act to add Sections 8593.11 and 53074.1 to the Government Code, relating to local government. </ns0:Title>
		<ns0:RelatingClause>local government</ns0:RelatingClause>
		<ns0:GeneralSubject>
			<ns0:Subject>Accessibility to emergency information and services: evacuations: pets.</ns0:Subject>
		</ns0:GeneralSubject>
		<ns0:DigestText>
			<html:p>Existing law, the California Emergency Services Act, provides that political subdivisions, as defined, have full power during a local emergency to provide mutual aid to any affected area in accordance with local ordinances, resolutions, emergency plans, or agreements. Existing law defines “emergency plan” for these purposes to mean official and approved documents that describe the principles and methods to be applied in carrying out emergency operations or rendering mutual aid during emergencies. Existing law requires that a county send a copy of its emergency plan to the Office of Emergency Services upon an update to the plan.</html:p>
			<html:p>Existing law requires a city or county to make available to the public by posting on its internet website information for pet emergency preparedness, including, but not limited to, information for creating an evacuation
			 plan and emergency checklist for pets consistent with recommendations publicly published by the Department of Food and Agriculture and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill, upon the next update to a city’s or county’s emergency plan, would require a city or county to update its emergency plan to designate procedures for the rescue of a pet, as defined, from an area subject to an evacuation order, as defined, subject to approval by the incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority, that at the time of the evacuation the pet’s owner believed to be alive. The bill would require that the procedures establish timelines or conditions in which rescues can occur as safely as possible. The bill would specify that nothing in these provisions
			 is to be construed to grant any person the absolute right to reenter an evacuation zone, and would require all reentry to be subject to incident conditions and approval by the designated incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority. The bill, upon the next update to a city’s or county’s emergency plan, would also require a city or county to update its emergency plan to designate a person or entity for a person with a residence in an area subject to an evacuation order to call if the person is in need of information regarding pets during an evacuation, as specified.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would require a city or county to make available to the public by posting on its internet
			 website, among other things, contact information for the above-described person or entity designated to provide information regarding evacuating pets during an evacuation.</html:p>
			<html:p>This bill would prohibit a pet rescued or originating from an area subject to an evacuation order, as defined, from being made available for adoption, euthanized, or transferred out of the custody of the local animal control agency or its in-state partner animal shelters, animal rescues, or animal fosters for at least 30 days, except as specified. The bill would authorize a local animal control agency to transfer a pet to its in-state partners during
			 the 30-day period if the local animal control agency maintains records of the location of the pet in order to facilitate owner reunification. After the 30-day period has passed, the bill would prohibit the pet from being euthanized if an animal rescue organization has previously notified the local animal control agency of their willingness to take custody of the pet and completes that transfer upon the conclusion of the 30-day period.</html:p>
			<html:p>By imposing new duties on local government agencies, the bill would create a state-mandated local program.</html:p>
			<html:p>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.</html:p>
			<html:p>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.</html:p>
		</ns0:DigestText>
		<ns0:DigestKey>
			<ns0:VoteRequired>MAJORITY</ns0:VoteRequired>
			<ns0:Appropriation>NO</ns0:Appropriation>
			<ns0:FiscalCommittee>YES</ns0:FiscalCommittee>
			<ns0:LocalProgram>YES</ns0:LocalProgram>
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			<ns0:ImmediateEffect>NO</ns0:ImmediateEffect>
			<ns0:ImmediateEffectFlags>
				<ns0:Urgency>NO</ns0:Urgency>
				<ns0:TaxLevy>NO</ns0:TaxLevy>
				<ns0:Election>NO</ns0:Election>
				<ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>NO</ns0:UsualCurrentExpenses>
				<ns0:BudgetBill>NO</ns0:BudgetBill>
				<ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>NO</ns0:Prop25TrailerBill>
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	</ns0:Description>
	<ns0:Bill id="bill">
		<ns0:Preamble>The people of the State of California do enact as follows:</ns0:Preamble>
		<ns0:BillSection id="id_2A1B29C9-4DD7-4BBC-B2F4-EC47DFBE2A74">
			<ns0:Num>SECTION 1.</ns0:Num>
			<ns0:Content>
				<html:p>The Legislature finds and declares the following:</html:p>
				<html:p>
					(a)
					<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
					During evacuations, many animals are left behind due to a variety of reasons, including owners not being at home at the time the evacuation order is given, lack of equipment needed to evacuate their animals, or difficulty in capturing them in time.
				</html:p>
				<html:p>
					(b)
					<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
					While animals are legally categorized as property, most people view them as family members and, as such, are determined to save them.
				</html:p>
				<html:p>
					(c)
					<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
					During the recent fires in Southern California, some jurisdictions lacked a coordinated
				procedure or central authority to facilitate animal rescues, leaving volunteers and rescue groups to respond to pet owners’ pleas to return to their residences, often by gaining access through unofficial means.
				</html:p>
				<html:p>
					(d)
					<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
					The Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards (PETS) Act of 2006 was passed at the federal level, which requires state and local emergency plans to account for the needs of pets and service animals during disasters.
				</html:p>
				<html:p>
					(e)
					<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
					The Legislature has taken steps to protect pets and their guardians in disasters, including by passing Assembly Bill 1648 of the 2021–22 Regular Session of the Legislature, which mandates that all kennel permitholders submit evacuation plans as a condition of the permit, and Assembly Bill 781 of the 2023–24 Regular Session of the Legislature, which
				requires emergency plans to include at least one animal-friendly shelter.
				</html:p>
			</ns0:Content>
		</ns0:BillSection>
		<ns0:BillSection id="id_C56C9F86-9BE3-425E-889C-660A2A08EE63">
			<ns0:Num>SEC. 2.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 8593.11 is added to the 
				<ns0:DocName>Government Code</ns0:DocName>
				, to read:
			</ns0:ActionLine>
			<ns0:Fragment>
				<ns0:LawSection id="id_0FCC4DA6-AFF6-458D-9A12-07F93D66B29C">
					<ns0:Num>8593.11.</ns0:Num>
					<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_EEF6B6CF-C325-4F7A-AA89-C8523B78B14F">
						<ns0:Content>
							<html:p>
								(a)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								For the purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Evacuation order” means an order from the Governor, or a county emergency management official, county sheriff, chief of police, or fire marshal, under which persons subject to the order are required to relocate outside of the geographic area covered by the order due to an imminent danger resulting from a state or local emergency.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Pet” means an animal, including a dog, cat, rabbit, rodent, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird, or other species of animal, kept for the purpose of being a household pet.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Upon the next update of a city’s or county’s emergency plan:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(A)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(i)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A city or county shall update its emergency plan to designate procedures for the rescue of a pet from an area subject to an evacuation order, subject to approval by the incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority, that at the time of the evacuation the pet’s owner believed to be alive.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(ii)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								The procedures shall establish timelines or conditions in which rescues can occur as safely as possible.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(B)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A city or county may require a person with a residence in an area subject to an evacuation order or their designated representative to sign a liability waiver releasing the city or county from any liabilities or claims related to the person’s return to the residence in accordance with the procedures required by subparagraph (A).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(C)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to grant any person the absolute right to reenter an evacuation zone. All reentry shall be subject to incident conditions and approval by the designated incident commander in coordination with the emergency management authority.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A city or county shall update its emergency plan to designate a person or entity for a person with a residence in an area subject to an evacuation order or their designated representative to call if the person is in need of information regarding evacuating pets during an evacuation.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A city or county shall make available to the public by posting on its internet website information, including, but not limited to:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Contact information for the person or entity designated to provide information regarding evacuating pets during an evacuation in paragraph (2) of subdivision (b).
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Resources for persons who need assistance reuniting with pets rescued
						from areas subject to evacuation orders, including a list of animals rescued from the evacuated areas that is linked on the home page of the city’s or county’s internet website.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								Multimodal methods of providing information regarding pet rescues and resources specified in paragraph (2).
							</html:p>
						</ns0:Content>
					</ns0:LawSectionVersion>
				</ns0:LawSection>
			</ns0:Fragment>
		</ns0:BillSection>
		<ns0:BillSection id="id_2C27F62C-93A4-4B5A-AF71-21D639805265">
			<ns0:Num>SEC. 3.</ns0:Num>
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				Section 53074.1 is added to the 
				<ns0:DocName>Government Code</ns0:DocName>
				, to read:
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			<ns0:Fragment>
				<ns0:LawSection id="id_5F87D756-E996-4A2A-A3E3-CBC3C17860CA">
					<ns0:Num>53074.1.</ns0:Num>
					<ns0:LawSectionVersion id="id_CBB690DF-B890-45FA-AC18-6322DF10300C">
						<ns0:Content>
							<html:p>
								(a)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								For purposes of this section, the following definitions apply:
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Evacuation order” means an order from the Governor, or a county emergency management official, county sheriff, chief of police, or fire marshal, under which persons subject to the order are required to relocate outside of the geographic area covered by the order due to an imminent danger resulting from a declared federal or state emergency.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								“Pet” means an animal, including a dog, cat, rabbit, rodent, reptile, amphibian, fish, bird, or other species of animal, kept for the purpose of being a household pet.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(b)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								(1)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A pet rescued or originating from an area subject to an evacuation order, that would otherwise be eligible for adoption, shall not be made available for adoption, euthanized, or transferred out of the custody of the local animal control agency or its in-state partner animal shelters, animal rescues, or animal fosters for at least 30 days.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(2)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								A local animal control agency may transfer a pet to an in-state partner animal shelter, animal rescue, or animal foster during the 30-day period if the local animal control agency maintains records of the location of the pet in order to facilitate owner reunification. 
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(3)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								After the 30-day period has passed, a pet described in paragraph (1) shall not be euthanized
						if an animal rescue organization has previously notified the local animal control agency of their willingness to take custody of the pet and completes that transfer upon the conclusion of the 30-day period.
							</html:p>
							<html:p>
								(c)
								<html:span class="EnSpace"/>
								This section does not apply to a pet that is irremediably suffering, or a pet that was relinquished or surrendered by its owner.
							</html:p>
						</ns0:Content>
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			</ns0:Fragment>
		</ns0:BillSection>
		<ns0:BillSection id="id_47770C00-C8FC-421D-BBAE-A77D0DE1398F">
			<ns0:Num>SEC. 4.</ns0:Num>
			<ns0:Content>
				<html:p>If the Commission on State Mandates determines that this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division 4 of Title 2 of the Government Code.</html:p>
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