§ 500-037. EMERGENCY OPERATIONS—CONTINUITY OF GOVERNMENT

Government at all levels is responsible for providing continuity of effective leadership and authority, direction of emergency operations and management of recovery operations. It is essential that the County of Sutter and all the cities within the County continue to function as government entities. The Constitution of California and the California Government Code provide the authority for state and local government to reconstitute itself in the event incumbents are unable to serve. The California Government Code provides for the preservation and continuity of local governments in the event of a state of war emergency, state of emergency, or local emergency.

(a)

Order of Succession: To provide a method to preserve the existing continuity of effective leadership and authority the following steps will be taken:

(1)

The Emergency Operations Plan will include the line of succession for the County Administrative Officer by title. When such succession is implemented for an ongoing emergency, the Acting Emergency Operations Manager will notify the Board of Supervisors within seven days.

(2)

The Emergency Operations Plan will include the line of succession by title for each department in the County. The temporary officers shall have the same authority and powers as the regular officers or department heads.

(b)

Reconstitution of the Board of Supervisors: A method for reconstituting the Board of Supervisors is established in Government Code Section 8644. Should any members of the Board of Supervisors be unavailable temporary officers shall be appointed:

(1)

By the Chairperson of the Board of Sutter County, and if he or she is unavailable,

(2)

By the Chairperson of the Board of any other county within 150 miles beginning with the nearest and most populated county and going to the farthest and least populated, and if he or she is unavailable,

(3)

By the Mayor of any city within 150 miles beginning with the nearest and most populated city and going to the farthest and least populated.

(c)

Reconstitution of the County of Sutter: As authorized by Government Code Section 8642, the Board of Supervisors shall convene as soon as possible whenever a state of emergency or local emergency exists and at a place not necessarily within the political subdivision. The duties of the Board of Supervisors during emergencies include ascertaining the damage to the County and its personnel and property, reconstituting itself and the County, and performing functions in preserving law and order and furnishing local services.

California Government Code Section 23600 provides that the Board of Supervisors shall designate alternative temporary county seats within or outside of county boundaries (real property cannot be purchased for seats outside of county boundaries). A resolution designating the alternate county seats must be filed in the appropriate county and in any alternative county. A different temporary county seat may be designated subsequent to the original site designations if circumstances warrant.

Pursuant to the above mentioned section of the California Government Code, the alternative county seat is the community of Sutter.