Accessibility to emergency information and services: mandatory evacuation areas: pets.

Assembly Member Zbur's legislation requires California cities and counties to establish formal procedures for pet rescue during mandatory evacuations, while implementing new protections for animals displaced by emergencies. The bill mandates that local emergency plans designate specific protocols allowing residents or their representatives to retrieve pets from evacuation zones, along with identifying dedicated points of contact for pet-related assistance during and after evacuations.

Local governments must post contact information and resources online to help reunite owners with rescued pets, including maintaining lists of animals recovered from evacuation areas. The legislation also institutes a 90-day holding period for pets rescued from mandatory evacuation zones, during which animals cannot be adopted, euthanized, or transferred from local animal control custody except in cases of irremediable suffering. After this period, agencies must notify local rescue and foster partners before euthanizing or transferring any unclaimed pets.

The measure builds upon existing state and federal disaster planning requirements, including the 2006 Pets Evacuation and Transportation Standards Act, which mandates that emergency plans address the needs of pets and service animals. According to the bill's findings, recent Southern California fires revealed gaps in coordinated pet rescue procedures, with some jurisdictions lacking central authorities to facilitate animal recovery efforts. The new requirements take effect when local jurisdictions next update their emergency plans, with implementation costs eligible for state reimbursement if determined to be state-mandated.