Committee advances bill to fund statewide 2-1-1 service and integrate it into emergency planning

Assemblymember Ransom presented AB 18 32 as a measure to strengthen and expand statewide access to 2-1-1 services. She said California remains one of a small number of states without full statewide 2-1-1 coverage and proposed a statewide fund, a community-needs dashboard and integration of 2-1-1 into state emergency planning.

Alana Hitchcock, CEO of 2-1-1 California, told the committee that in 2025 local 2-1-1 centers answered more than 1.8 million live calls and texts and supported responses to numerous emergency events. Hitchcock said 15 counties currently lack full 2-1-1 coverage and that unstable local funding risks service loss in other areas.

Lindsey Gordon, program manager at Connecting Point, described regional impacts and emergency activations, citing examples where 2-1-1 reporting directly led to resources such as portable showers and county-level emergency responses. Supporters including United Ways and independent living centers registered on the record.

Members moved the bill with committee amendments (which shift some requirements to the Office of Emergency Services). The committee recommended AB 18 32 "due pass as amended" and referred it to Appropriations with no recorded opposition.