Why it matters:
Proclaiming a local emergency is a formal request to state representatives for assistance and possible funding, which goes to the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
Documented by Josef Sibala
What happened: During its Jan. 3, 2023 meeting, the Madera County Board of Supervisors added the closure of Madera Community Hospital to a list of renewed local emergency declarations. The other emergencies include those due to Covid, the tree mortality disaster, winter storm events, and the Creek and Fork Fires.
Several members of the public supported the new declaration of a local emergency, including Natya Steveich who asked the board for a plan for people who are in “dire need.”
Sheriff-Coroner Tyson Pogue updated the board on the closure of MCH. He said the proclamation of a local emergency is a formal request to state representatives for assistance. The request has been sent to the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES).
He said that Cal OES will look at the county budget to determine what costs can be absorbed by the county and whether the needs meet requirements for state funding.
If authorized for funding, it will be provided under the California Disaster Safety Act, covering 75 percent of the county’s cost. The only allowable costs are emergency protective costs such as equipment, vehicles, overtime, and any extra employee help.
And also: Madera County Supervisors Jordan Wamhoff, Robert Macaulay, and David Rogers were sworn in.
For 2023, the board approved David Rogers as chairman and Robert Poythress as chairman pro tem.
Up next: The Madera County Board of Supervisors will meet again at 9 a.m. on Jan. 10.