“The threat of natural disasters and terrorist devastation is real. State legislators must provide oversight and review of the state’s emergency preparedness efforts to make sure we are fully readied,” Ruskin said.

The first hearing, Is California Prepared for The Big One: Earthquake, Tsunami, Wildfire, Flood, An Act of Terrorism?, will be held on Monday, October 24, 2005, from 9:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. at the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services Headquarters and State Operations Center, Senator William P. Campbell Emergency Services Building, 3650 Schriever Avenue, Mather (former Mather Air Force Base just east of Sacramento).

Scheduled to appear and present an overview of California’s preparedness are officials from the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, Office of Homeland Security and the California National Guard. Addressing the issue of first responders will be executives from the California Police Chiefs Association, the California Highway Patrol, the California State Sheriffs Association, the Department of Health Services, Office of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and the California Fire Chiefs Association. The final panel will discuss the availability of essential services in an emergency and feature representatives from the Department of Water Resources, the California Seismic Safety Commission and the California Department of Transportation.

The next hearing will take place on November 1st and is entitled Thinking the Unthinkable – Are We Ready for Major Floods in the Delta? Future hearings will focus on wildfire-related issues and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security.

Ruskin has experience in preparing for catastrophic disasters. He was a leader in passing legislation requiring the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission to rebuild the Hetch Hetchy water delivery system to withstand a major earthquake. On the Redwood City Council, he played a critical role in the successful effort to establish a new, efficient San Mateo County emergency response system that uses firefighters and paramedics as first responders resulting in faster, uniform countywide response times.

“Now is the time to prepare for the potentially cataclysmic disasters that California confronts. We have a great deal of vital work to do as quickly as possible,” Ruskin concluded.