Recovery from disaster or emergency: funding priority.

Assembly Member Gallagher's proposal would authorize the Office of Emergency Services (OES) to prioritize funding and technical assistance for communities experiencing population and business losses in the wake of major disasters. The measure establishes a framework for directing resources from federal and state disaster recovery programs toward areas with documented demographic decline and ongoing unmet recovery needs.

The bill specifies three primary funding sources eligible for this targeted assistance: the federal Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program, and the California Disaster Assistance Act. Under these programs, the OES could prioritize support for infrastructure and housing recovery projects in qualifying communities that demonstrate both population and business losses stemming from federal, state, or local emergencies.

This addition to California's emergency services framework builds upon the OES's existing role in coordinating state agency responses during declared emergencies. While the measure introduces new prioritization authority, it operates within current funding streams and program structures, requiring no new appropriations. The provisions would apply to future disaster recovery efforts once enacted, with implementation occurring through the OES's established administrative processes.