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BACKGROUND Chapter 2.44 of the Pleasanton Municipal Code (Attachment A) sets forth guidelines for establishing a disaster council comprised of city officials, department representatives, and local organizations to include business, and other emergency partners. Currently, the city does not have a disaster council. The purpose of a disaster council is to develop pre- disaster working partnerships, exercises and plans with agency- designated representatives from local business organizations, chamber of commerce, utilities, hospitals, school districts, special needs community, affiliated volunteers, the faith based community, transportation and the Red Cross. Planning and practicing together improves a jurisdiction's ability to respond and recover from disasters. Disaster Council's have been part of California's emergency response strategy since the mid 1940's and recently, the California Emergency Council, which is the official body to the Governor in times of emergency, was authorized to determine accreditation standards for all municipal disaster councils. In general, the selection of representatives can come from a wide range of agencies including, as an example, the following: City departments including the City Manager's Office, Police, LPFD, Human Resources, Parks and Community Services, etc. Pleasanton Unified School District American Red Cross County of Alameda Office of Emergency Services Valley Care Medical Utilities: PG &E, Zone 7 Transportation: BART, Wheels, Chamber of Commerce Local Special Needs Community Faith -based Community Citizen Corps Volunteers (CERT, Neighborhood Watch, LARK, VIPS) Federal grant funding can be applied for through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) programs for grants in the range of $5,000 to $25,000 to cover planning and exercise activities. In January 2002, the President launched Citizen Corps to capture the spirit of service that emerged throughout communities following the events of September 11, 2001. Citizen Corps was created to help coordinate volunteer activities that can improve community safety by being prepared to respond to any emergency situation. The Citizen Corps mission is carried out, in part, through a national network of Citizen Corps Councils that implement preparedness programs and carry out local strategy that involve the community improving safety. The Citizens Corps is coordinated nationally by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). U.S. Department of Homeland Security Presidential Directive -8 strengthened the focus on citizen involvement to assure security and address local emergencies. A Citizen Corps Council's role is typically related to educating, training and coordinating residents about disaster preparedness. The City does not currently have a Citizen Corps Council. Page 2 of 4