Lawmakers probe emergency-alert failures after Los Angeles wildfires

A joint informational hearing of the Senate Committee on Governmental Organization, the Joint Legislative Committee on Emergency Management and the Assembly Committee on Emergency Management convened Tuesday to examine problems with California's emergency alert system after recent Los Angeles–area wildfires that officials say contributed to delayed or misdirected notifications.

Lawmakers pressed the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services on why an evacuation alert intended for Kenneth Fire residents was “mistakenly sent to 10,000,000 other residents in Los Angeles County,” and asked what redundancies, training, and testing are in place to prevent similar errors. Assemblymember Ransom, speaking in opening remarks, said the January 9 alert “was mistakenly sent to 10,000,000 other residents, in Los Angeles County.”

The hearing focused on how state systems (including FEMA's Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, IPAWS), local alerting authorities, and third‑party providers such as WatchDuty and Rave interact during fast‑moving incidents. Erica Baker, assistant director for headquarters response at Cal OES, outlined the state's role: supporting local jurisdictions with guidance, training and access to IPAWS, running the State Warning Center 24/7, and updating statewide alert guidelines (revised May 2024) to better include access and functional needs communities. “A comprehensive alert and…