If you’re living in California or just checking the headlines, it often feels like the entire state is constantly one bad afternoon away from a disaster. You see the alerts on your phone, the "emergency" banners on the news, and the governor signing papers in Sacramento. But honestly, the answer to "is California in a state of emergency right now" isn't a simple yes or no. It’s more like a "which one?" and "where exactly?"
Right now, as of January 2026, California is actually under multiple concurrent states of emergency. Some are brand new, triggered by the atmospheric rivers that slammed the coast over the holidays, while others are "zombie" emergencies—administrative declarations that stay active for months or even years to keep federal funding flowing for recovery.
The Winter Storm Emergency (December 2025 - January 2026)
Most recently, Governor Gavin Newsom proclaimed a state of emergency on December 24, 2025, for a huge chunk of the state. If you’re in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, or Shasta counties, you’re technically still in the "active response" window of this declaration.
Why? Because the end of 2025 was brutal. A series of atmospheric rivers hit soils that were already saturated. When that much water hits the "burn scars" from the wildfires earlier in 2025—like the Airport, Bridge, and Line fire areas—you get mudslides. The emergency declaration isn't just a scary label; it’s a legal tool that lets the state move National Guard troops and equipment without the usual red tape.
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For many residents, this means the Emergency Access to Benefits is active. For example, if you're in one of those six counties, there's currently an override process in place until January 23, 2026, allowing for early prescription refills and easier access to medical benefits. It's the state's way of saying, "We know your life is a mess right now, so we're waiving the paperwork."
The Recovery Emergencies You Forgot About
This is where it gets kinda confusing. California has a habit of keeping emergency declarations open long after the rain stops or the fire is out. On December 23, 2025, Newsom quietly signed a proclamation covering six different events from earlier in the year.
We’re talking about recovery efforts for:
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- The January windstorms in Rancho Cucamonga.
- A Tsunami event in Del Norte County from July 2025.
- The Gifford Fire in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
- August monsoon storms in Imperial County.
If you’re wondering why these matter now, it’s all about the money. Under the California Disaster Assistance Act, a state of emergency has to be active for local governments to get reimbursed for fixing roads or clearing debris. So, technically, parts of Sierra County and San Bernardino are "in an emergency" for storms that happened four months ago.
Wildfire Prevention: The Permanent Emergency?
There is also a massive, sweeping state of emergency that was declared back on March 1, 2025, and it’s still very much in effect. This one is different. It wasn't triggered by a single fire, but by the threat of them.
This proclamation fast-tracks wildfire safety projects. Basically, it allows the state to bypass certain environmental regulations (like CEQA) to thin out forests and create fuel breaks. It’s a controversial move, but the state argues that the "catastrophic wildfire risk" created by current forest conditions is a permanent emergency. So, in a sense, the entire state has been in a rolling emergency for nearly a year just to keep the lights on and the trees from exploding.
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What This Means for Your Daily Life
Usually, not much—unless you're trying to drive through a flooded canyon or your house is in a mandatory evacuation zone. But there are a few practical "emergency" perks and rules that kick in:
- Price Gouging Laws: When a state of emergency is declared, it's illegal for businesses to hike prices on "essential goods" (water, gas, hotel rooms) by more than 10%. This usually stays in effect for 30 days after the proclamation.
- Insurance Protections: If you live in or near a wildfire disaster area, state law often prevents insurance companies from canceling or non-renewing your policy for a year.
- Workplace Safety: If there’s an active emergency involving smoke or flooding, Cal/OSHA requirements for worker protection (like N95 masks for outdoor workers) become much stricter.
The "Day of Remembrance" vs. Active Danger
Just last week, on January 7, 2026, flags were at half-staff across the state. This was a "Day of Remembrance" for the devastating Los Angeles fires of January 2025. While that specific fire is long gone, the trauma remains—and so does the heightened state of alert.
The good news? The U.S. Drought Monitor recently confirmed that California is largely out of a drought thanks to the massive winter storms. We’ve traded the "drought emergency" for a "flooding and mudslide emergency." It’s the classic California trade-off.
Actionable Steps to Take Right Now
If you are in one of the currently declared counties (LA, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Shasta), don't just wait for the next alert.
- Check Your Refills: If you’re worried about access to meds, use the "Refill Too Soon" override before the January 23 deadline.
- Ready.ca.gov: This is the gold standard for real-time updates. Sign up for local alerts specifically for your zip code.
- The Go-Bag Reality: Look, it's 2026. If you don't have a bag with your birth certificate, some cash, and three days of water in your trunk, you're playing a dangerous game.
- Insurance Audit: Since many of these emergencies trigger a "stay" on insurance cancellations, now is the time to check your policy. If your area was recently added to a disaster list, you might have a window of protection you didn't know about.
The reality is that California is almost always in a state of emergency for something. Whether it’s a monsoon in the desert or a mudslide in the hills, the "state of emergency" is often just the administrative machinery of the state working to keep things moving. Stay alert, keep your gas tank half-full, and maybe keep an eye on those burn scars if the clouds start looking heavy.