In the transition to the more modern emergency operator system, California has spent nearly $850 million, to date
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Republican lawmakers are calling for an audit and increased oversight of California’s long-delayed Next Generation 911 system after the state spent over $455 million since 2019 in modernizing emergency communications.
Assemblymember Josh Hoover of Folsom has formally requested an audit of the spending, while Sen. Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach is advancing legislation — the Fix 911 Act — that would require additional state reporting on the project.
“We have nothing to show for it,” Hoover said. “We haven’t updated our antiquated 911 system.”
California’s existing 911 infrastructure — Legacy 911 — is roughly 50 years old and lacks capabilities such as transmitting photos and video. The modernization effort, known as Next Generation 911, is intended to allow for such text, image, video and improved data-sharing functions across emergency response systems.
According to the nonpartisan California Legislative Analyst’s Office, planning for the shift began in 2010 during the administration of former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and continued under Govs. Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom.
But it wasn’t until 2019 the Legislature first dedicated a funding stream to the effort, approving $130 million in ongoing support. Since then, the state has spent more than $455 million directly on the NextGen 911 project, which is overseen by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, or Cal OES.
At the same time, California has continued operating its legacy 911 system while attempting to transition to the new platform. Maintaining and modifying the older system — including offering support to individual dispatch centers juggling both systems — has cost an additional $392 million since 2019, according to a report by the agency.
Combined, the state has spent about $847.5 million on overall 911 systems over the past six years.
“It’s unclear how much additional we’ll need to spend to the point where we can transition away from the legacy 911 system,” said Drew Soderborg of the Legislative Analyst’s Office.
The full transition to NextGen 911 — which means decommissioning from the Legacy system — is now delayed until 2030. That delay means the state must continue funding both systems simultaneously, increasing costs.
Funding for the system comes from a monthly surcharge paid by phone users in California, known as the State Emergency Telephone Number Account (SETNA) Tax. The fee is currently 41 cents per line and is set annually by Cal OES.
We asked the LAO’s office if Cal OES could raise that tax, should they need more revenue for projects. Soderborg said while it is within the agency’s jurisdiction, state law caps the surcharge at 80 cents, and that raise would need the Legislature’s approval.
Project implementation has also shifted, which is what Republicans continue to question. Cal OES initially pursued a regional approach, dividing the state into four regions under a single statewide administrator. Contracts were awarded to individual regions.
Officials are now moving toward a fully statewide model in an effort to streamline the transition.
“We’re back right where we started after spending that $500 million,” Sen. Strickland said of the shift in strategy.
Upgrades such as text-to-911 are now available at all 447 public safety answering points, or dispatch centers, statewide. However, voice call transitions have proven more difficult. According to Cal OES’s updated transition plan, only 23 centers have begun using the new voice call system, and some experienced “significant operational disruptions.”
“We’re at an inflection point where OES is trying to decide exactly how to proceed,” Soderborg said.
Strickland and Hoover continue to emphasize lawmakers are concerned about the return on investment so far.
In a statement, a Cal OES spokesperson said the agency welcomes oversight, writing, “California is committed to a Next Generation 9-1-1 system that works for all Californians. We recognize the public’s interest in the modernization of California’s 9-1-1 system and welcome transparency and accountability, and we will fully comply with any approved audit. Any legislator-requested audit must be approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and, if approved, is conducted independently by the California State Auditor.”
The agency added, “The 9-1-1 Advisory Board will discuss the Implementation Plan for NG 9-1-1 at tomorrow’s regularly scheduled quarterly meeting in Sacramento. The implementation plan can be found the CA 9-1-1 Emergency Communications Branch webpage.”
In an update on the audit, Asm. Hoover’s team tells us while a committee hearing is set for March 24th, they’re not yet sure his audit request will be heard. As for Strickland’s bill, it’s set for its first committee hearing in the coming weeks.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr has weighed in on the debate too, writing a letter to Governor Gavin Newsom that Newsom failed to deliver an updated 911 system, as he had promised, and that millions have been wasted on the project.
We asked Newsom about the various critiques. We did not hear back.
Cal OES is required to submit two reports to the Legislature regarding the development and implementation of the project. They submitted the first one last November. The next report is due by March 1, and the LAO said they expect more on the fiscal impact in that one.
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