(a) The director is empowered to:
(1) Request the city council to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency if the city council is in session, or to issue such a proclamation if the city council is not in session. Whenever a local emergency is proclaimed by the director, the city council must take action to ratify the proclamation within seven days thereafter or the proclamation will have no further force or effect;
(2) Request the Governor to proclaim a state of emergency when, in the opinion of the director, the locally available resources are inadequate to cope with the emergency;
(3) Control and direct the effort of the emergency organization of this city to accomplish the purposes of this chapter;
(4) Direct cooperation between and coordination of services and staff of the emergency organization, and resolve questions of authority and responsibility that may arise between them;
(5) Represent the city in all dealings with public or private agencies on matters pertaining to emergencies;
(6) Upon the proclamation of a local emergency by the city council or the director, or the proclamation of a state of emergency by the Governor or the director of the state Office of Emergency Services, or the existence of a state of war emergency, the director is empowered:
(A) To make and issue rules and regulations on matters reasonably related to the protection of life and property as affected by that emergency; provided, however, such rules and regulations must be approved at the earliest practicable time by the city council,
(B) To obtain vital supplies and equipment that may be needed for the protection of life and property, to bind the city for payment of their fair value and, if required immediately, to commandeer the same for public use,
(C) To require the emergency services of any city officer or employee and, in the event of the proclamation of a state of emergency in Los Angeles County or the existence of a state of war emergency, to command the aid of as many citizens of this community as the director deems necessary in the execution of the director’s duties; those persons are entitled to all privileges, benefits and immunities that are provided by state law for registered disaster service workers,
(D) To requisition necessary personnel or material of any city department or agency,
(E) To execute all ordinary power and authority as city manager, all of the special powers conferred by this chapter, by resolution, or by an emergency plan adopted by the city council, and all powers conferred by statute, by agreement approved by the city council, and by any other lawful authority.
(b) The director of emergency services must designate the order of succession to the office, which will take effect if the director is unavailable to attend meetings and otherwise perform all duties during an emergency. That order of succession must be approved by the city council.
(c) The assistant director must, under the supervision of the director and with the assistance of emergency service chiefs, develop emergency plans, manage the emergency programs, and perform all other powers and duties that may be assigned by the director.
(Ord. 767 § 1 (part), 1998)