Beginning in 2006, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) utilized a “core-city, core-county” concept to determine risk and allocate grant funds. The jurisdiction in the Bay Area UASI used that same concept to establish the Bay Area UASI Approval Authority as the Urban Area Working Group (UAWG) for the Bay Area UASI, comprised of Representative for the Urban Area’s core cities and counties. In 2008 and subsequent years, DHS used the U.S. Census-determined Metropolitan Statistical Area as a component of its risk methodology and specified that the UAWG take a regional approach to establish representation and membership. The Approval Authority, a Brown-Acted body, includes representation from each of three major cities (San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose) and twelve counties located in the Bay Area.
The UASI Program assists high-threat, high-density Urban Areas in efforts to build and sustain the capabilities necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from acts of terrorism.
The UASI program is intended to provide financial assistance to address the unique multi-discipline planning, organization, equipment, training, and exercise needs of high-threat, high-density Urban Areas, and to assist these areas in building and sustaining capabilities to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats or acts of terrorism using the Whole Community approach.
A negative action to approve the Memorandum of Understanding and By-Laws would not permit Contra Costa County to participate in the distribution of grant funding among those agencies that apply for UASI grants.