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BACKGROUND The City's Disaster Preparedness Policy (Attachment 1), revised in June 2023, provides an overview of City procedures and policies relating to disaster response and authorizes the City Manager and department directors to carry out all emergency plans adopted by the City Council, including the City's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP), which was last updated in 2018. The City Manager will keep the Mayor and Councilmembers apprised of conditions during an incident and their role will depend on the circumstances and stage of an incident. The EOP describes the process by which the City Manager and staff will coordinate City resources for an effective response in the event of an emergency, including standing up the City's Emergency Operations Center (EOC), which is the location where designated City staff provide interagency coordination and executive decision making during a disaster. The City mobilizes an EOC both in-person in a physical location — currently the patrol briefing room inside the Pleasanton Police Station — as well as virtually through VEOCI, a software platform for emergency management that provides a direct link to the Alameda County Office of Emergency Services. The EOP also includes a discussion of the tools and protocols for alerting and warning the community about disasters. The EOP describes the multiple alert and warning systems to which the City has access for notifying the public in an emergency. Attachment 2, EOP Section 3.13 Alerting and Warning, discusses these systems in more detail. DISCUSSION The City is prepared to respond effectively to disasters that threaten the community, which could include earthquakes, landslides, fires, floods, storms, power outages, as well as any other emergency requiring a coordinated, multi-agency response. The frequency of natural and man-made disasters has increased in recent years, particularly in California. Best practices suggest that cities should regularly review their emergency preparedness and response functions. Disaster Preparedness Working Group and Disaster Academy City staff has formed a Disaster Preparedness Working Group (DPWG), which is comprised of staff from each City department, most of whom have completed the week- long California Specialized Training Institute's (CSTI) Emergency Management Concepts-All Hazards Training. This training uses lecture and increasingly complex exercises to teach participants about the Standardized Emergency Management System (SEMS) and how the staffing in the EOC supports emergency response in the field. The DPWG team meets regularly to drive initiatives and programs that continuously improve the City's disaster preparedness. DPWG staff has developed a Citywide training and communication plan with disaster preparedness exercises and inward- and outward-facing communications to help City staff and the community stay informed and ready throughout the year. The training plan Page 2 of 4