Citizen Corps Council (CCC)

palo alto and stanford citizen corps council logo, citizen corps uniting communities, preparing the nation, Palo Alto and Stanford

Citizen Corps is a federal best practice, designed to integrate government and community resources in partnership for all-hazards preparedness. The Palo Alto/Stanford CCC is our local coordinating body for all activity related to emergency planning and homeland security. The CCC is a clearing house for information and best practices, as an advisory body to the City Manager and, therefore, integral to the Emergency Services Council (ESC) of the City.

There are many ways to participate and get involved. Visit our Emergency Services Website to find out how to Get Prepared and Get Involved!

Mission Statement

The mission of the Palo Alto/Stanford CCC is to harness the power of individuals, businesses, and organizations through education, training and volunteer service to make communities resilient, safe, strong, and prepared to respond to and recover from threats as identified in the City of Palo Alto threats and hazards report.

Structure of the CCC

The City’s Municipal Code Chapter 2.12 places executive authority for emergency services and public safety with the City Manager, who is the statutory director of emergency services and the Director of Emergency Services (Office of Emergency Services) who is the statutory assistant director of emergency services, and further establishes an Emergency Services Council (ESC).

Municipal Code Section 2.12.030(5) specifies that the membership of the ESC may include: “Such representatives of civic, business, labor, veterans, professional or other organizations having an official emergency responsibility, as may be appointed by the director with the advice and consent of the city council.” (. added) These representatives are the Palo Alto/Stanford Citizen Corps Council (CCC), along with the City staff enumerated in that section. When the Mayor is present, the CCC becomes the ESC.

The City has maintained a Citizen Corps Council since 2004, and while it has undergone several organizational changes since then, the mission remains the same. Our latest revision to this program occurred in 2016 with the adoption of a revised Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).

The membership of the CCC/ESC includes the staff positions defined in the Municipal Code along with eight community members appointed by the Director of Emergency Services to represent organizations "having an official emergency responsibility" as described above. Municipal Code Section 2.12.080 specifies that the CCC/ESC is to be involved in revisions to the City's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP).