Public health: emergency plans and wildfire research.

Calderon’s measure weaves a statewide planning framework for wildfire-driven air-quality events into a system of county- and regional-level plans, linking local action to a Department of Public Health–led state plan and creating formal coordination across agencies and stakeholders. The core objective is to establish a unified approach to protective equipment, public health messaging, deployment of aid, and resource coordination during significant air quality events, with a state plan due by late June 2027, posted within a week of completion and distributed within two weeks to a defined set of local and state offices. Counties would be required to develop county-specific plans or regional multicounty plans that address all recommendations in the state plan and designate leads for each recommendation, with copies distributed to local executives and health directors and to state authorities after adoption, and the department tasked with posting the plans within 14 days of receipt.

Key mechanisms codify the contents and process of both state and local plans. The state plan must address policies and procedures for respiratory protection and other protective equipment, including stockpiling and distribution considerations, education on use, and guidance on accessibility for residents, including those with heightened risk. It also requires information for residents on actions if the air quality index becomes significant, health impacts, where to obtain PPE and oxygen or medications, and strategies to prevent inhalation of pollutants. The plan places particular emphasis on informing vulnerable populations and disseminating information broadly, with explicit guidance for reaching non-English speakers and other hard-to-reach groups. At the county level, the plan must establish criteria, locations, and measures of effectiveness for public respite facilities during poor air quality, identify personnel to rapidly deploy aid, and include robust public outreach about the threat and recommended responses. Counties may form multicounty regional plans, subject to board approvals, and upon adoption, plans must be distributed to specified local officials and health directors, the state public health officer, and GOES, among others. The state department is required to post copies of each county-specific or regional plan within 14 days of adoption, and the plan must supplement any existing resources the department has developed for counties.

Implementation and fiscal considerations center on the bill’s cost and accountability structure. The proposal contemplates a state-mandated local program if the state mandates costs on local entities, with reimbursement pursued under established mechanisms, though there is no explicit new appropriation attached to the measure. Local duties include developing county-specific or regional plans, establishing public outreach and education, determining stockpiling and distribution of respiratory protection and related devices, and provisioning emergency supplies for sensitive populations, all of which could affect local budgeting and staffing. The framework ties county planning to the next scheduled update of each county’s emergency plan, and it requires dissemination and public posting to promote transparency and accountability.

Viewed in policy context, the measure enshrines cross-agency and cross-sector collaboration, requiring input from entities such as emergency services, environmental and planning agencies, aging and developmental services, health professionals, hospitals, nonprofits, and business organizations. It emphasizes clear public communication about unhealthy air quality, the AQI, health effects, and protective actions, with a focus on equity and accessibility for vulnerable groups. By allowing regional coordination through multicounty plans and mandating timely posting and dissemination, the bill seeks to standardize preparedness across jurisdictions while embedding local governance within a state framework that could influence future resource distribution and emergency-response coordination during wildfire-related air-quality events.