Since 1950, California's Office of Emergency Services (OES) has coordinated overall state agency response to major disasters in support of local government. The office is responsible for assuring the state's readiness to respond to and recover from natural, man-made, and war-caused emergencies. Consequently, it has been at the center of the state's response to the recent rise in terrorism threat level. But the nature of today's threats is different than it was even a few years ago, requiring significantly greater scientific expertise to anticipate and counter in a variety of areas. As a result, the OES has turned to CCST for advice.

CCST has advised California leaders on science and technology related issues since its inception in 1988, typically via selected analyses and reports conducted at the request of the state. In order to better leverage the considerable reservoir of scientific expertise in California, in 1997 CCST started the Fellows program. Combined, California's university campuses, technical institutes, and industry laboratories are home to some of the world's greatest scientists and technical expertise. The CCST Fellows represent an impressive network of experts that serve as a significant resource to the state. The CCST Fellows help to provide academic, government and industry expertise to policy makers in an accessible manner.

At the Council meeting on February 28, 2003, a committee was formed to deal with the task of adapting the October 2002 National Research Council (NRC) report, Countering Agricultural Bioterrorism, for California state policymakers. This report concluded that, among other things, the nation has inadequate plans to deal with agricultural bioterrorism, such as the deliberate introduction of a pathogen to crops or livestock.

The recent outbreak of Exotic Newcastle disease in California illustrates the potential extent of the damage a pathogenic attack could inflict on California's agriculture industry. A highly lethal viral ailment, Exotic Newcastle disease affects poultry, causing respiratory problems and lethargy. Chickens are particularly susceptible to the disease and usually die within a few days. Since October 2002, when an outbreak of the disease began in California, almost 3 million commercial egg-producing chickens have been euthanized in the state because of the disease, and seven counties in Southern California are under quarantine, with a prohibition on moving poultry. This has had a substantial impact on the state's $1 billion poultry industry.

By isolating those NRC report conclusions and recommendations that are directly applicable to California, and presenting the data to state policymakers in an accessible format, CCST has an opportunity to leverage timely, significant research useful to public policymakers and agencies in an effective manner. In the years to come, CCST will continue exploring ways to make the research produced by the National Academies both more accessible and more California-relevant for state policymakers.