Notice on Disaster Service Training from LA City Interim General Manager 

https://emergency.lacity.gov/dsw/disaster-service-worker-training

Hello, City Employees, 

The Mayor has activated the City’s Disaster Service Worker (DSW) Program due to the Windstorm and Fire Weather in the Los Angeles area. This activation is effective Tuesday, January 14, 2025. The DSW Program is a state-mandated program designed to provide critical support to the City of Los Angeles during emergencies.  Under this program activation, City employees may be called upon to serve as Disaster Service Workers (DSWs) at certain locations throughout the City to provide support.  As a next step, the Personnel Department’s DSW Team will begin contacting your Department Personnel Officers (DPOs) with requests for DSWs to assist during this emergency.  

Our goal is to provide as much information about the DSW missions as we can so you have an understanding before reporting to your assignment. While we attempt to gather information about potential assignments for the DPOs to share with you in advance, specific training for assignments will be provided once you arrive at your designated DSW work location. This training is called, “Just-In-Time” training.  

As a reminder, each DSW, regardless of job classification, is considered to be acting within the scope of the disaster service duties while deployed. Once assigned, the DSW assignment becomes your regular work assignment until released to return to your normal duties. You will continue to receive your regular pay (including regularly assigned bonuses) while working as a DSW. While you do not need to ask permission from your supervisor, you should inform your supervisor immediately if you are activated as a DSW so that your supervisor can make any necessary adjustments to work schedules and assignments to ensure business continuity.  

As a refresher, the City provides DSW training (Disaster Service Worker – Mandatory Loyalty Oath Training and the Disaster Service Worker – Refresher Course [a short video series]) online to City employees. These training courses are already assigned to employees by the Personnel Department’s Training Team. Employees who have not completed previous training assignments should do so as soon as possible. Employees who have already completed these training courses are able to review the information at any time. If you are officially assigned as a DSW, please also take the Disaster Service Worker II – Serving Others course, also available on through the Cornerstone training portal. The Personnel Department Training Team will coordinate assignments as soon as possible, but please feel free to register for the training on your own if you have not received an assignment.  

All DSW trainings can be found by all employees by simply logging into Cornerstone (lacity.csod.com). From there, employees can select “Browse For Training” on their homepage and navigate to the “Disaster Service Worker” subject on the left.  DSW related courses will appear in this section for easy access. If you or an employee need assistance with logging into Cornerstone, please contact the designated Department Training Coordinators, or pertraining@lacity.org. Please note that the Library Department and Los Angeles Department of Water and Power are not in the Cornerstone platform. Please visit the Department Training Coordinator contact list for information on how to get in touch with these departments so the training can be assigned accordingly. 

As we move forward, more information will be provided to you through your Department Personnel Officers.  

We ask for your patience, flexibility, and understanding in this process as the situation is fluid. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gGhBeoa4Va_ENO9jM50IqvxY1ym6hm8HZrM9OmuGeUQ/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you for your service! 

Grayce Liu (she/her)  
Interim General Manager & City Engagement Officer