Section 768.6.

(a) The commission shall establish standards for disaster and emergency preparedness plans within an existing proceeding, including, but not limited to, use of weather reports to preposition manpower and equipment before anticipated severe weather, methods of improving communications between governmental agencies and the public, and methods of working to control and mitigate an emergency or disaster and its aftereffects. The commission, when establishing standards pursuant to this subdivision, may make requirements for small water corporations similar to those imposed on class A water corporations under paragraph (2) of subdivision (f).

(b) An electrical corporation, as defined in Section 218, providing service in California shall develop, adopt, and update an emergency and disaster preparedness plan in compliance with the standards established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (a).

(1) (A) In developing and adopting an emergency and disaster preparedness plan, an electrical corporation providing service in California shall invite appropriate representatives of every city, county, or city and county within that electrical corporation's service area in California to meet with, and provide consultation to, the electrical corporation.

(B) Every city, county, or city and county within the electrical corporation's service area in California may designate a point of contact for the electrical corporation to consult with on emergency and disaster preparedness plans.

(C) The electrical corporation shall provide the point of contact designated pursuant to subparagraph (B) with an opportunity to comment on draft emergency and disaster preparedness plans.

(2) For the purposes of best preparing an electrical corporation for future emergencies or disasters, an emergency and disaster preparedness plan shall address recent emergencies and disasters associated with the electrical corporation or similarly situated corporations, and shall address remedial actions for possible emergencies or disasters that may involve that corporation's provision of service.

(3) Every two years, in order to update and improve that electrical corporation's emergency and disaster preparedness plan, an electrical corporation providing service in California shall invite appropriate representatives of every city, county, or city and county within that electrical corporation's service area to meet with, and provide consultation to, the electrical corporation.

(4) For the purposes of best preparing an electrical corporation for future emergencies or disasters, an electrical corporation updating its emergency and disaster preparedness plan shall review the disasters and emergencies that have affected similarly situated corporations since the adoption of the plan, remedial actions taken during those emergencies or disasters, and proposed changes to the plan. The electrical corporation shall adopt in its plan the changes that will best ensure the electrical corporation is reasonably prepared to deal with a disaster or emergency.

(c) A meeting pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be noticed and shall be conducted in a public meeting that allows for the participation of appropriate representatives of counties and cities within the electrical corporation's service area.

(1) A county participating in a meeting pursuant to subdivision (b) may inform each city within the county of the time and place of the meeting.

(2) An electrical corporation holding a meeting pursuant to subdivision (b) shall provide participating counties and cities with the opportunity to provide written and verbal input regarding the corporation's emergency and disaster preparedness plan. For purposes of this public meeting, an electrical corporation may convene a closed meeting with representatives from every city, county, or city and county within that electrical corporation's service area to discuss sensitive security-related information in the electrical corporation's emergency and disaster preparedness plan and to solicit comment.

(3) An electrical corporation shall notify the commission of the date, time, and location of a meeting pursuant to subdivision (b).

(d) An electrical corporation shall conduct a meeting pursuant to subdivision (b) no later than April 1, 2013, and every two years thereafter.

(e) An electrical corporation shall memorialize a meeting pursuant to subdivision (b), and shall submit its records of the meeting to the commission.

(f) (1) A water company regulated by the commission shall develop, adopt, and update an emergency and disaster preparedness plan in compliance with the standards established by the commission pursuant to subdivision (a). This requirement shall be deemed fulfilled when the water company files an emergency and disaster preparedness plan pursuant to another state statutory requirement.

(2) A water company developing, adopting, or updating an emergency and disaster preparedness plan pursuant to paragraph (1) shall hold meetings with representatives from each city, county, or city and county in the water company's service area regarding the emergency and disaster preparedness plan.

(g) An electrical corporation or a water corporation may fulfill a meeting requirement imposed by this section by making a presentation regarding its emergency and disaster preparedness plan at a regularly scheduled public meeting of each disaster council created pursuant to Article 10 (commencing with Section 8610) of Chapter 7 of Division 1 of Title 2 of the Government Code within the corporation's service area, or at a regularly scheduled public meeting of the governing body of each city, county, or city and county within the service area.

(Added by Stats. 2012, Ch. 472, Sec. 1. Effective January 1, 2013.)