SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado (D-Bakersfield) released the following statement after she introduced, Senate Bill 265—The Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity Preparedness Act:

“We are living in a new era of threats to California’s critical infrastructure,” said Senator Hurtado. “The ransomware attacks on Los Angeles Unified School District last fall and on the California Department of Finance during last winter are prime examples of this fact. SB 265 will help protect us from dangerous attacks that threaten our cyber, physical and human security. We cannot leave ourselves vulnerable to the malicious attacks of others.”

California’s existing cybersecurity defenses leave our critical infrastructure vulnerable to cyberattacks and cyber threats. These cyberattacks threaten the health and safety of Californians who depend on this infrastructure.

Recently, there has been an increase in the number of cyberattacks targeting critical infrastructure sectors. These cyberattacks, predominantly made up of phishing attempts and ransomware, provide intruders with access to technology systems, money, and sensitive data and information.

SB 265 directs the California Office of Emergency Services (CalOES) and the California Cybersecurity Integration Center (Cal-CSIC) to create plans to increase outreach and funding for cybersecurity preparedness to support California’s critical infrastructure, specifically in the areas of education, healthcare, energy and financial services.

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado represents a new generation of Latina leaders, as the youngest woman ever elected to the California State Senate and as a product of immigrant parents. Senator Hurtado represents the 16th Senate District and focuses on rural community issues that often go unheard — access to clean air and water, food insecurity and poverty, inequities in environmental policies, agriculture and access to health care. In July 2020, she was appointed to the national Biden Latino Leadership Committee alongside former Labor Secretary and current Los Angeles County Supervisor Hilda Solis – the only two California Latinas on the Committee.

For more information, visit Senator Hurtado’s Website here or find her on Twitter at @Senator_Hurtado

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