CC SR 20260421 J - Emergency Radio Outreach
CITY COUNCIL MEETING DATE: 04/21/2026
AGENDA REPORT AGENDA HEADING: Consent Calendar
AGENDA TITLE:
Consider naming and outreach efforts for the City’s emergency radio station.
RECOMMENDED COUNCIL ACTION:
(1) Approve the City’s emergency radio name as 1680 AM: Peninsula Emergency
Updates; and,
(2) Approve the community outreach strategies for the 1680 AM Peninsula
Emergency Radio Station.
FISCAL IMPACT: The signs and banners needed for community outreach efforts for the
City’s AM radio station are estimated at $3,000. Sufficient funds are
available in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026-27 Budget and no additional
appropriation is requested. VR
Amount Budgeted: $3,000
Additional Appropriation: N/A
Account Number(s): 101-400-1430-4310 VR
(General Fund – Emergency Preparedness) – Operating Supplies)
ORIGINATED BY: Lubna Mohammad, Emergency Management Coordinator
REVIEWED BY: Catherine Jun, Deputy City Manager CJ
APPROVED BY: Ara Mihranian, AICP, City Manager
ATTACHED SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS:
A. March 17, 2026 Staff Report (Linked)
BACKGROUND
Major disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, and wildfires are often accompanied by
concurrent outages of power, internet, and/or cell service. These utility outages pose
numerous public safety risks, primarily the loss of all communication capabilities. For this
reason, the City Council, on March 17, 2026, authorized the installation and operation of
a citywide emergency AM radio station, in partnership with the Palos Verdes Unified
School District (PVPUSD). Additional detail about the required equipment, its location,
and coverage across the Palos Verdes Peninsula are outlined in the March 17 Staff
Report under Attachment A. The AM emergency radio station serves as a backup means
of sharing critical public information about emergencies during communication disruptions
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and is accessible in most vehicles and weather/emergency handheld radios . Thus, most
residents, including those who are actively evacuating, will be able to tune in to receive
safety information and evacuation guidance, even during outages. Following City Council
authorization of the AM Radio Station, Staff indicated it would return to a future Council
meeting with a recommended radio station name and outreach strategy to raise public
awareness about this emergency resource.
DISCUSSION
Name and Logo
The emergency radio station is recommended to
be named “1680 AM: Peninsula Emergency
Updates”. Place the station number in the front
of the name helps residents remember where to
tune in during an emergency. Using the term
“Peninsula” articulates the range of the radio to
broadcast messaging throughout the area, which
includes all PVPUSD schools and the City. While
use of the City’s and PVPUSD’s names within
the station’s name were initially considered, it
was ultimately determined that this would take
away from the simplified message this radio
station seeks to portray, which is to tune into
1680 AM for local emergency updates
throughout the Peninsula.
While the Palos Verdes Peninsula does include other cities who are not currently a part
of this partnership, this radio station name is appropriate as PVPUSD schools exist in all
four Peninsula cities and provides an opportunity for the other Peninsula cities to join the
radio partnership in the future without a major renaming and rebranding effort. Moreover,
the radio protocols and agreement have been written to allow the other Peninsula cities
to work through the City to broadcast messaging on the radio during emergencies, since
the radio reaches most of the entire Peninsula.
Outreach Strategy
The City will utilize the following platforms to advertise the new emergency radio station:
• Social Mediaemail listserv messages, websites, quarterly newsletters, MyRPV app
and the City Manager’s Weekly Report
• RPVtv Public Service Announcements on Channel 33 and YouTube
• Emergency Preparedness Committee (EPC) booth at events, monthly messages,
and meetings
• City Meetings
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Additionally, to amplify messaging, City staff will work to post signs on all major egress
routes throughout the City, City facilities, local businesses, nonprofits, within
neighborhoods (where possible), Homeowners’ Associations (including Council of
Homeowners Associations (CHOA), and Neighborhood Watch.
Upon approval by City Council of the emergency radio’s name and outreach strategy, City
staff will begin distributing flyers, banners, and roadway signs that will be posted after the
installation and testing of the radio in May to June 2026. City Staff will incorporate the
outreach material into radio procedures, guidance, templates and scripts and host these
in SharePoint and within the EOC position binders to ensure staff is able to quickly utilize
the radio station for emergency messaging.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Radio Procedure Implementation
After the radio station is installed and tested, City staff will begin outreach on the radio
station, along with training staff to operate the radio during emergencies. Installation and
testing will occur during Spring 2026 and outreach will begin in Summer 2026 .
The City’s Emergency Management Coordinator will be responsible for maintaining the
radio station when there is no emergency; conducting monthly testing and uploading a
generic message that will run on a loop 24/7 on the radio station, identifying it as a backup
form of communication for the City and PVPUSD during emergencies. The Emergency
Management Coordinator will also upload emergency related information, such as
preparedness messaging, safety reminders during inclement weather, and advertising for
emergency related events regularly, adding this information to the looped message when
appropriate.
The Emergency Management Coordinator will work with the vendor to train City Staff on
the radio operation and use, along with developing and incorporating procedures, training
manuals, and pre-scripted messaging into the Public Information Officer (PIO) Se ction of
the City’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC). While the Emergency Management
Coordinator will take on the primary responsibility of maintaining and operating the radio
station on behalf of the City, the PIO Section of the EOC may be called upon du ring an
emergency to help quickly share messaging on the radio station.
Radio Access
The City and PVPUSD leadership will have full access to the radio station and may upload
pre-recorded messages or live recordings under the following circumstances:
• A potential or active hazard posing a threat to life or property.
• Emergency-related information, including preparedness, mitigation, response,
and/or recovery messaging.
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• Announcements of events or programs related to disasters, emergencies, or
hazards.
To ensure coordination, newly uploaded messages or recordings should be shared
between the City and PVPUSD at least 48 hours in advance by one of the following
representatives or their designees for each entity:
• PVPUSD Superintendent or Assistant Superintendent
• Rancho Palos Verdes City Manager, Deputy City Manager, or Emergency
Management Coordinator
When messaging pertains to immediate life -safety matters, advance notice is not
required; however, every reasonable effort should be made to notify the individuals listed
above as soon as possible after the message is uploaded.
In the event a neighboring jurisdiction wishes to utilize the emergency radio station for
disaster-related messaging, that jurisdiction must submit its proposed message to City
leadership for review and approval. If approved, the messaging will be shared w ith
PVPUSD’s leadership and uploaded by the City in accordance with the process described
above and an established fee. This procedure is called out in the draft Memorandum of
Understanding (MOU) currently under review by the three other Peninsula cities.
Peninsula Cities
City Staff have reached out to the other Peninsula cities to provide details about the
project with the offer to be partners on the emergency radio station, leaving the door open
to the possibility of a future partnership on this project, if the other Peninsula cities voice
interest. City staff continue to provide updates and information to the other Peninsula
cities as major project milestones are reached and as questions are presented.
CONCLUSION:
Ensuring a sound outreach strategy is critical to the success of the City’s emergency AM
radio station, helping inform both City staff and the public about the radio station and its
purpose. The City Council is recommended to approve the name and outreach strategy
for the emergency radio station, as outlined above.
ALTERNATIVES:
In addition to the Staff recommendation, the following alternative actions are available for
the City Council’s consideration:
1. Do not approve the emergency radio station name and outreach strategy.
2. Identify a different name for the emergency radio station
3. Approve the emergency radio station name and outreach strategy with certain
modifications.
4. Take other action, as deemed appropriate.
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