EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
PROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY
WHEREAS on September 8, 2024, the Bridge Fire began burning in Los Angeles County and has since burned into San Bernardino County and burned over 47,000 acres; and
WHEREAS on September 9, 2024, the Airport Fire began burning in Orange County and has since burned into Riverside County and burned over 22,000 acres; and
WHEREAS these fires have prompted evacuation orders and road closures, and continue to threaten structures, homes, and critical infrastructure; and WHEREAS in response to requests from the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, on September 10, 2024, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved Fire Management Assistance Grants to assist with the mitigation, management, and control of the Airport and Bridge Fires; and
WHEREAS these fires and other active fires throughout California, including the Line Fire in San Bernardino County, for which I proclaimed a state of emergency on September 7, 2024, have been fueled by continued high temperatures throughout the day and night, dry conditions, and strong winds, and have caused imminent threat to life and necessitated the full deployment of local and state resources, including nearly 6,000 boots on the ground, hundreds of engines and water tankers, and the world's largest aerial firefighting force; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist due to the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by these fires, by reason of their magnitude, are beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8625(c), I find that local authorities are inadequate to cope with the magnitude of the damage caused by these fires; and
WHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8571, I find that strict compliance with various statutes and regulations specified in this Proclamation would prevent, hinder, or delay the mitigation of the effects of these fires.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the State Constitution and statutes, including the California Emergency Services Act, and in particular, Government Code section 8625, HEREBY PROCLAIM A STATE OF EMERGENCY to exist in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties due to the Bridge Fire and in Orange and Riverside Counties due to the Airport Fire.
IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT:
1. All agencies of the state government utilize and employ state personnel, equipment, and facilities for the performance of any and all activities consistent with the direction of the Office of Emergency Services and the State Emergency Plan. Also, all residents are to obey the direction of emergency officials with regard to this emergency in order to protect their safety.
2. The Office of Emergency Services shall provide assistance to local governments, if appropriate, under the authority of the California Disaster Assistance Act, Government Code section 8680 et seq., and California Code of Regulations, Title 19, section 2900 et seq.
3. As necessary to assist local governments and for the protection of public health and the environment, state agencies shall enter into contracts to arrange for the procurement of materials, goods, and services necessary to quickly assist with the response to and recovery from the impacts of these fires. Applicable provisions of the Government Code and the Public Contract Code, including but not limited to travel, advertising, and competitive bidding requirements, are suspended to the extent necessary to address the effects of these fires.
4. The California National Guard may be mobilized under Military and Veterans Code section 146 to support disaster response and relief efforts, as directed by the Office of Emergency Services, and to coordinate with all relevant state agencies and state and local emergency responders and law enforcement within the impacted areas. Sections 147 and 188 of the Military and Veterans Code are applicable during the period of participation in this mission, exempting the California Military Department from applicable procurement rules for specified emergency purchases, and those rules are hereby suspended.
5. The provisions of Unemployment Insurance Code section 1253 imposing a one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance applicants are suspended as to all applicants who are unemployed as a direct result of the these fires and apply for unemployment insurance benefits during the time periods beginning September 8, 2024, and ending on the close of business on March 10, 2025, for the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernadino Counties, and beginning September 9, 2024, and ending on the close of business March 10, 2025, for the Airport fire in Orange and Riverside Counties, and who are otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits.
6. Vehicle Code sections 9265(a), 9867, 14901, 14902, and 15255.2, requiring the imposition of fees, are suspended with regard to any request for replacement of an identification card, driver's license card, vehicle registration certificate, or certificate of title, or registration stickers, by any individual who loses such records as a result the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties. Such records shall be replaced without charge.
7. The provisions of Vehicle Code sections 4602 and 5902, requiring the timely registration or transfer of title, are suspended with regard to any registration or transfer of title by any individual who is unable to comply with those requirements as a result of the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties. The time covered by this suspension shall not be included in calculating any late penalty pursuant to Vehicle Code section 9554.
8. Health and Safety Code sections 103525.5 and 103625, and Penal Code section 14251, requiring the imposition of fees, are suspended with regard to any request for copies of certificates of birth, death, marriage, and dissolution of marriage records, by any individual who loses such records as a result of the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties. Such copies shall be provided without charge.
9. In order to directly respond to the needs of impacted adult and senior care facilities, child care facilities, children's residential facilities, resource family homes, home care organizations, and other similar care facilities and care providers within the California Department of Social Services' (CDSS) jurisdiction, the Director of CDSS may waive any provisions of the Family Code, Health and Safety Code, or Welfare and Institutions Code, and accompanying regulations or written directives, with respect to the use, licensing, certification, registration or approval of care providers, facilities or homes within CDSS jurisdiction set forth in the California Community Care Facilities Act (Health and Safety Code section 1500 et seq.), Child Care Provider Registration (Health and Safety Code section 1596.60 et seq.), the California Child Day Care Facilities Act (Health and Safety Code section 1596.70 et seq.), Residential Care Facilities for Persons With Chronic Life-Threatening Illness (Health and Safety Code section 1568.01 et seq.), the California Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Act (Health and Safety Code section 1569 et seq.), Medical Foster Homes for Veterans (Health and Safety Code section 1568.21 et seq.), Continuing Care Contracts (Health and Safety Code section 1770 et seq.), the Home Care Services Consumer Protection Act (Health and Safety Code section 1796.10 et seq.), or the Resource Family Approval Program (Welfare and Institutions Code section 16519.5 et seq.). Any waivers granted pursuant to this paragraph shall be posted on the CDSS website and shall be in effect only so long as necessary to address the direct impacts of the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties.
10. Adequate state staffing during this emergency is necessary for all state agencies and departments with an assigned response and/or recovery role. Consistent with applicable federal law, work hour limitations for retired annuitants, permanent and intermittent personnel, and state management and senior supervisors, are suspended. Furthermore, reinstatement and work hour limitations in Government Code sections 21220, 21224(a), and 7522.56(b), (d), (f), and (g), and the time limitations in Government Code section 19888.1 and California Code of Regulations, title 2, sections 300-303 are suspended. All other restrictions must be adhered to for retired annuitants. The Director of the California Department of Human Resources must be notified of any individual employed in state government pursuant to these suspensions. The suspension of statutes identified in this Paragraph shall also apply to local governments, as applicable, to ensure adequate staffing to appropriately respond to the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties. Local governmental agencies shall notify the California Public Employees' Retirement System of any individual employed by an agency pursuant to this Paragraph.
11. The limitation for the period of employment for State Personnel Board emergency appointments, as provided in Government Code section 19888.1, is suspended for positions required for emergency response and/or recovery operations related to the Bridge Fire in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties and the Airport Fire in Orange and Riverside Counties. The requirements and period of employment for such appointments will be determined by the Office of Emergency Services, but shall not extend beyond the termination date of the State of Emergency.
I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Proclamation be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given of this Proclamation.
This Proclamation is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have
hereunto set my hand and caused
the Great Seal of the State of
California to be affixed this 11th day
of September 2024.
Governor of California
ATTEST:
SHIRLEY WEBER, PH.D.
Secretary of State