Folsom lawmaker seeks accountability after state abandons long-delayed emergency communications upgrade
Assemblyman Josh Hoover, R-Folsom, is calling for a state audit of California’s failed Next Generation 911 project after the long-promised modernization of the state’s emergency communications system collapsed following years of delays and escalating costs.
In a statement, Hoover said Californians were promised an updated and reliable 911 system but instead experienced delays, outages and what he described as nearly half a billion dollars in wasted taxpayer funds.
“Californians were promised an updated, reliable 911 system,” Hoover said. “Instead, they got delays, outages, and nearly half a billion dollars wasted. That is unacceptable and taxpayers deserve a full accounting of what went wrong.”
Portions of California’s 911 infrastructure are more than 50 years old, with stakeholders describing parts of the system as “literally falling apart.” The Next Generation 911, or NG911, project was designed to modernize the system and allow real-time transmission of voice, text messages, photos and video to emergency dispatchers.
However, after years of setbacks and mounting costs, the project failed during its initial rollout. The state ultimately abandoned the effort and began restarting the process after spending more than $450 million, funds that were collected through monthly 911 surcharges on customer phone bills.
Hoover said the issue extends beyond fiscal responsibility and directly affects public safety.
“This is not just about wasted resources, it is also about public safety,” Hoover said. “When someone calls 911 they need a reliable system that can get them help as soon as possible. We need a full investigation to ensure a failure like this does not happen again.”
The audit request asks the State Auditor to review several key issues, including what went wrong during the project’s planning and implementation, how much of the monthly 911 surcharge was spent on the failed rollout, and whether the surcharge could increase to complete a new system.
The audit would move forward if approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee.
Hoover represents California’s 7th Assembly District in Sacramento County, which includes the cities of Citrus Heights, Folsom and Rancho Cordova, along with the unincorporated communities of Carmichael, Fair Oaks, Foothill Farms, Gold River, Mather, McClellan Park, North Highlands, Orangevale and Rosemont.
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