Cal OES seeks authority for FEMA reimbursements and NextGen 911 support as it asks to revert flexible victim assistance funds

The Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) told the Senate Budget Subcommittee No. 5 that the governor's May Revision includes authority requests to reflect anticipated FEMA reimbursements, support one‑time cybersecurity grants, provide temporary augmentations tied to recovery from recent fires, and add provisional language related to the next generation 9‑1‑1 transition. Separately, the May Revision proposes a $49.7 million reversion of one‑time flexible cash assistance funding for crime survivors.

Why it matters: Cal OES manages disaster reimbursements, statewide 9‑1‑1 infrastructure, and grant programs that support local victim services. Changes to NextGen 9‑1‑1 timing and funding affect local Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) and the state's ability to move off legacy copper infrastructure. Reverting flexible victim assistance funds would eliminate a one‑time pool that supported community‑based survivors services.

Cal OES requests and LAO recommendations Eric Swanson of Cal OES summarized the May Revision requests: $1.12 million federal trust fund authority related to projected FEMA reimbursements (split across state and local assistance), $605,000 in state operations and $11.5 million in local assistance for cybersecurity grants, and provisional language under control section 90 to permit augmentations for 2025–26 recovery costs tied to the February fires. Cal OES also requested an augmentation from the State Emergency Telephone Account to ensure adequate funding for the NextGen 9‑1‑1 transition while capping the surcharge at the January 1, 2025 rate of $0.41 per line.

The Legislative Analyst's Office supported adopting NextGen 9‑1‑1 augmentation authority to avoid jeopardizing 9‑1‑1 operations but recommended OES provide quarterly progress reporting, better estimates of legacy‑system costs if migration delays continue, and clearer vendor‑costs once negotiations complete. The LAO also urged clarifying language to ensure any federal trust fund authority was strictly for reimbursements, not a free cash appropriation.

NextGen 9‑1‑1 migration and the pause Cal OES and LAO staff described recent migration activity and a pause in further rollouts. Cal OES said 23 of approximately 447 PSAPs had migrated to NG911 and that the migration was paused to resolve vendor interdependencies and to consider a transitional element that would reduce the technical burden on PSAP operators. Cal OES chief deputy Lisa Mongott explained the idea of a transitional element that would route and adjudicate calls and text/video across legacy and NG network interfaces so local call handlers did not have to manage those interdependencies directly.

Cal OES told the committee that network infrastructure is stable, but migration has been labor‑intensive for PSAPs; Cal OES asked the subcommittee for time to negotiate vendor changes and said it would provide a timeline once procurement and contracting approaches were clarified. Senators asked for a target timeline; Cal OES committed to provide one within a few months and to provide a list of the 23 PSAPs already migrated and the status of the remainder.

Victim services funding reversion Cal OES said the May Revision includes a proposed one‑time reversion of $49.7 million previously appropriated as flexible cash assistance for survivors of crime. Multiple victim‑services advocates and local officials told the committee they oppose the reversion and urged restoring the money. Cal OES said the money was a one‑time appropriation and that if the Legislature wishes to continue the program it must allocate new funding.

Disaster reimbursement authority and local recovery Finance and Cal OES staff described how control section 90 and related provisions funded state‑agency response costs and established processes for local recovery funds. The May Revision sought authority to cover recovery costs that extend into the budget year; Cal OES noted that FEMA reimbursement flows require periodic increases in federal trust fund authority to avoid continual re‑approvals.

Next steps and oversight LAO recommended quarterly reporting on NextGen 9‑1‑1 progress and that OES provide a more detailed estimate for legacy‑system operational costs if migrations remain paused. Senators pressed Cal OES on timelines and asked for specifics on whether items such as permit‑fee waivers or power‑line undergrounding would be eligible for local recovery reimbursement; Cal OES said staff would follow up in writing. No votes took place at the hearing.