Working to protect California from cybersecurity attacks, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) administers the State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program.
The grant program provides funding to state, local, and tribal agencies across California to support upgrades to hardware, such as new computers that are compatible with the latest applications and security systems, and software, such as the Computer-Aided Dispatch system that allows multiple agencies to respond to specific emergencies.
Through these upgrades, the grant recipients are able to address cyber risks, such as phishing attacks, and are better equipped to protect the state’s critical infrastructure, such as fire stations, power plants, and hospitals.
Since the funding was released in 2022, 114 subrecipients have received funding. Subrecipients included tribal governments, cities and counties, community services districts, county offices of education, school districts from elementary through community colleges, and water and sanitation districts.
Benefits and successes achieved by participants include:
- Improved interoperability between local, state, and federal systems.
- Upgraded from aging LTE modems to modern 5G connectivity.
- Enhanced cybersecurity protection.
- Formalized cybersecurity procedures to address evolving cyber threats and ensure long-term system resilience.
- Updated hardware to ensure safer storage of resident and staff data.
- Updated systems and hardware to ensure compatibility with new software versions.
The California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC), through Cal OES, supports the grants program. Cal-CSIC responds to cyber threats and attacks against critical infrastructure and computer networks in the state.
Cal-CSIC operates as the state’s hub for cyber threat analysis, integrating information from federal partners such as the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and other federal partners.
Through the SLCGP, Cal-CSIC strengthens the capacity of state, local, and tribal governments to strengthen readiness, improve detection capabilities, and ensure coordinated response to cyber incidents.