Senate hearing probes California emergency-alert failures after Los Angeles wildfires

Assemblymember Ransom opened a joint informational hearing on emergency alerting by telling lawmakers that a January evacuation alert intended for Kenneth Fire residents ‘‘was mistakenly sent to 10,000,000 other residents in Los Angeles County,’’ and said that error eroded public trust in the system.

Why it matters: multiple legislators and local officials linked delayed or misdirected alerts to confusion and, in some cases, loss of life during the Eaton and Palisades fires. Senators and assemblymembers pressed the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) on how alerts are issued, who draws evacuation zones and what back-up options exist when local systems fail.

Cal OES assistant director Erica Baker and program manager David Meyer told the committees that the state maintains guidelines, training and a 24/7 State Warning Center that supports local alerting authorities. ‘‘The state's role is to support local governments through training, consultation, and guidance on alert and warning best practices,’’ Baker said, noting regular testing requirements for jurisdictions that use FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and…