Gov. Code, § 8596 · Article 7. Other State Agencies
Gov. Code, § 8596
Text — As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
(a) Each department, division, bureau, board, commission, officer, and employee of this state shall render all possible assistance to the Governor and to the Director of Emergency Services in carrying out this chapter.
(b) In providing that assistance, state agencies shall cooperate to the fullest possible extent with each other and with political subdivisions, relief agencies, and the American National Red Cross, but nothing contained in this chapter shall be construed to limit or in any way affect the responsibilities of the American National Red Cross under the federal act approved January 5, 1905 (33 Stat. 599), as amended.
(c) Entities providing disaster-related services and assistance shall strive to ensure that all victims receive the assistance that they need and for which they are eligible. Public employees shall assist evacuees and other individuals in securing disaster-related assistance and services without eliciting any information or document that is not strictly necessary to determine eligibility under state and federal laws. Nothing in this subdivision shall prevent public employees from taking reasonable steps to protect the health or safety of evacuees and other individuals during an emergency.
(d) State personnel, equipment, and facilities may be used to clear and dispose of debris on private property only after the Governor finds: (1) that the use is for a state purpose; (2) that the use is in the public interest, serving the general welfare of the state; and (3) that the personnel, equipment, and facilities are already in the emergency area.
Notes and commentary — not statutory text
History
Amended by Stats. 2013, Ch. 352, Sec. 164. (AB 1317) Effective September 26, 2013. Operative July 1, 2013, by Sec. 543 of Ch. 352.
Source of truth
- Edition
- As published in the Legislative Counsel's database, tables dated October 18, 2026 (pubinfo_2025.zip)
- Official file
- https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=GOV§ionNum=8596.
- Text hash
- sha256 f59d12fc9d7eaf91bb5843043a0d5d920a32e501c2bb0b9539c37e3686d372ca
- Composed by
- compose_ca.py 2026-10-22: the Legislative Counsel's CAML content files read by a tokenizer (caml_readers.reader_a); an independent xml.etree reading (caml_readers.reader_b) agrees on every section
Procedural information only. Not legal advice and not a substitute for the advice of an attorney. Confirm the current text with the official publisher before relying on it.