Governor’s Briefs: $12.5 M. in Community Emergency Preparedness and New Appointment

Gov. Newsom Announces $12.5 M. in Community Emergency Preparedness

SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom July 6 announced that California’s nation-leading Ready California program has invested $100 million in community preparedness since 2019. Through the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), Ready California seeks to educate and empower Californians through grants for local nonprofits and outreach campaigns designed to strengthen resilience among vulnerable populations, including individuals with low incomes, disabilities, language barriers, older adults, and those living in high-risk disaster areas. 

Ready California, the state’s overarching preparedness initiative, also known as Listos California, helps people prepare for disasters such as wildfires, earthquakes, drought, and floods. The program builds networks of trusted community messengers and creates culturally competent educational resources to help Californians prepare for the next disaster, regardless of their abilities, zip code, or the language they speak.

In May, $12.5 million was awarded to 31 community groups across California. This investment strengthens coordination across the network of campaign partners and supports the delivery of in-language resources. In addition to grant funding, California also invested further support for outreach and implementation efforts to reach all Californians.

Since inception in 2019, Ready California has invested over $150 million to more than 680 community-based organizations, tribes, Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) programs, volunteers, and service teams, reaching over 16 million Californians engaged through face-to-face outreach. Ready California continues to serve all 58 counties with over 3,000 community and emergency services leaders trained to lead preparedness efforts, strengthening statewide resilience. 

This is the sixth year California has provided local funding through Ready California. The program, supported by the Legislature, is designed to enhance disaster preparedness through a statewide network of community-based organizations, Tribal Governments, CERTs, and other partners to support the state’s most vulnerable populations when disaster strikes. Since 2019, Ready California has contacted nearly 6 million Californians through phone banking efforts to encourage Californians to sign up for local emergency alerts.

Ready California: stories

• Tzu Chi USA (Los Angeles County), in partnership with Listos California, was recognized by Mayor Thomas Wong and Council Member Jose Sanchez for their joint efforts to serve the community. Leaders praised the collaboration between Listos CA and Tzu Chi’s medical outreach team, which connected residents to vital health and preparedness services. The effort had a strong impact on new immigrant communities, with volunteers providing Mandarin and Cantonese interpretation and multilingual materials. The partnership highlights the power of community-driven outreach to reach and support diverse populations.
• The Neighborhood Block Party Initiative is helping communities across California build preparedness at the neighborhood level by making it easy to host local events that spark conversations around emergency readiness. Available in 15 languages, the kits increase access to emergency preparedness materials for communities historically underserved by language and resource barriers. To date, California has delivered 4,000 kits across 51 of California’s 58 counties, reaching 88% of the state.

Gov. Newsom Announces Appointments

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom June 30 announced the following appointment: 

Vishesh Anand, of Los Angeles, has been appointed senior advisor at the California Housing and Homelessness Agency. Anand has been senior advisor at the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency since 2025. He was deputy director of Special Projects at the Office of California Governor Gavin Newsom in 2025, where he was deputy regional director of External Affairs from 2022 to 2025. Anand was a public engagement deputy for Intergovernmental and Legislative Affairs at the Office of Los Angeles Mayor Garcetti from 2021 to 2022. He was a field deputy at the Office of Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin from 2020 to 2021. Anand was a client engagement representative at Aspiration in 2020. He was an Operations Manager at Kinetic Society LLC from 2019 to 2020. Anand was a business analyst at Kinetic Society LLC from 2017 to 2019. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and Global Studies from University of California, Los Angeles. This position does not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $140,004. Anand is registered with no party preference.