California Commits $12.5 Million to Community Disaster Preparedness as Federal Funding Retreats

Saratoga, CA — California has awarded $12.5 million to 31 community organizations through its Ready California disaster preparedness program, Governor Gavin Newsom announced on July 6. The grants fund local nonprofits, tribal governments, and community groups that run training sessions, distribute emergency go-bags, translate alerts, and sign residents up for local warning systems in the state's most vulnerable communities.

The governor's office said the Ready California program, also known as Listos California, has invested $100 million in community preparedness since 2019, reaching more than 16 million Californians through face-to-face outreach and nearly 6 million through phone banking to encourage emergency alert sign-ups. More than $150 million has gone to over 680 community-based organizations, tribes, and volunteer programs across all 58 counties since the program began, with 3,000 community leaders trained to lead local preparedness efforts.

"> Through Ready California, we are investing in trusted community partners who meet people where they are, delivering life-saving resources to our most vulnerable residents," Newsom said. California Office of Emergency Services director Caroline Thomas Jacobs said the campaign allows the state to build readiness and protect lives by investing in the communities where it is needed most. The governor's office framed the investment as a response to federal preparedness cuts.

Saratoga, a Santa Clara County city of about 31,000 residents in the Silicon Valley foothills, sits roughly 50 miles southeast of San Francisco in one of the most disaster-prepared regions of the state.

The program serves residents facing wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and drought, with a focus on people with low incomes, disabilities, language barriers, and older adults in high-risk disaster areas. The state also distributes Neighborhood Block Party preparedness kits in 15 languages, with 4,000 kits delivered across 51 of California's 58 counties. This is the sixth year California has provided local funding through the program, which is supported by the Legislature.